Family dynasty in Togo tightens its grip with another election win
| Lome, Togo
Togo's President Faure Gnassingb茅 has managed to retain his hold on Togo鈥檚 government after elections saw his party take a decisive majority in parliament last week. But street protests could soon challenge聽what is proving to be West Africa's longest running family dynasty.
Opposition activists say that the ruling Unir party鈥檚 62-seat majority win in legislature elections was the product of a rigged election, and that the party will use its majority to pass reforms allowing Mr. Gnassingb茅 to remain in office indefinitely.
鈥淪ince they are a majority, whatever they want to do, they will do,鈥� says Sylvio Combey, a journalist and human rights activist in Togo. 鈥淭hey will try maybe to remove the limit or patch it in such a way that the president will remain in power as long as the former president, his father.鈥�
For the country鈥檚 three major opposition parties, last week鈥檚 elections were an opportunity to gain control of parliament and perhaps pass reforms that would check Gnassingb茅鈥檚 power.
By decrying the polls as fraudulent, the opposition has set the stage for potentially violent clashes, particularly in the capital 尝辞尘茅, which is considered an opposition stronghold and has seen protests in the run-up to the election.
Unir wants to get the country鈥檚 economy back on track, says Togo鈥檚 minister for planning and development,聽D茅d茅 Ahoefa Ekou茅, a candidate for Unir in 尝辞尘茅.
鈥淚 think [the opposition] should just learn and take stock of what happened and join the legislature and move forwards,鈥� Ms. Ekou茅, who lost her seat in the election, says. 鈥淣o system is perfect in terms of electoral process. There has not been proof of any fraud.鈥�
The Gnassingb茅s have ruled Togo practically uninterrupted since 1967, first with President Etienne Gnassingb茅 Eyad茅ma, who was the longest-ruling president in Africa when he died in 2005. After his father鈥檚 death, Faure Gnassingb茅 took power amid a violent and disputed election.
Observers from the African Union and the regional Economic Community of West African States both said the vote last Thursday was credible. But opposition supporters say it was marred by unauthorized polling stations and constituencies drawn disproportionately, giving an advantage for Unir鈥檚 supporters in the country鈥檚 north.
From the time people started lining up in the capital 尝辞尘茅 to vote, suspicions of vote-rigging were high. As polls closed on voting day, voters argued with polling agents about perceived irregularities and escorted boxes of marked ballots to the electoral commission headquarters in boisterous convoys, all in fear that the government would try to tamper with the results.
When police shut down the private broadcaster Radio Legende mid-way through the day, an angry crowd descended on the station, scuffling with security forces and briefly taking two police hostage before the chairman of the Togo鈥檚 Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission 鈥� formed after clashes as the current president Gnassingb茅 rose to power 鈥� finally intervened.
鈥淚f they want to rig the elections, we are ready to die to protect our results,鈥� says Ashpou Hebrew, one of the thousands who gathered outside the radio station to call for its reopening.
But Mr. Combey says another bout of the type of violence that happened in 2005 would only drag the country backwards.
鈥淲henever there is violence there is no peace,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen there is no peace, there is no development and our country can鈥檛 move forward."
