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Togo fixes polls for April 24, citizens protest in Lagos
From Ebow Godwin, (Lome) and Francis Obinnor (Lagos)
Nigerian Guardian
TOGO's newly established Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday
evening confirmed the date fixed for the country's coming presidential
elections.
But its nationals in Lagos State yesterday stormed the country's embassy in
Lagos, demanding that the new interim` leader, Mr. Abass Bonfoh, be removed.
Opposition leaders yesterday in Togo agreed to the timetable for the polls
and agreed to send nominees to the electoral body.
The electoral commission's chairman, Professor Kissem Tchangai Walla,
confirmed to the press that the presidential elections would hold on April
24. This followed broad consultations held with the various political
stakeholders and a delegation of the Economic Community of West Africa
ECOWAS).
Tchangai said that in accordance with its legal statutes and regulations,
the electoral commission had started to function after electing its
Executive Bureau.
"The Electoral process for the presidential elections has therefore started
in earnest", he said.
He also announced that the deadline for the filing of nomination papers by
prospective candidates has been scheduled for March 26. The political
campaign period will take place from April 8 to 22.
Tchangai said that the revision of electoral roll would begin on March 21
and end on April 5.
"The Independent National Electoral Commission wishes that the elections
will take place in peace and security", she said.
Interior and Security Minister Akila Esso-Boko, whose Ministry provides
logistical back up for the elections invited all political parties to submit
the names of their representatives to file all the electoral structures as
soon as possible.
He said that the amount of deposit to be paid by presidential candidates
would soon be fixed by a government decree.
The issue of amount of deposit to be paid by candidates formed part of the
electoral grievances submitted to Ecowas by the opposition parties.
Ecowas High-powered delegation announced on Tuesday that the Togo government
had agreed to lower the amount to be paid by presidential candidates which
was originally pegged at 20 million CFA Francs, about 40,000 US Dollars.
Professor Leopold Messan Gnininvi, who is the co-ordinator of the alliance
of three major and three smaller opposition parties said that they had now
agreed to submit the names of their three representatives to serve on the
newly created electoral commission.
The three major opposition parties, the Union of Forces for Change (UFC) of
exiled opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio, the Action Committee for
Renewal (CAR) led by Lawyer Yawovi Agboyibo and the African Peoples
Democratic Convention of Professor Leopold Messan Gnininvi had been
boycotting the work of the new Electoral Commission due to "inadequacy in
Togo's electoral code".
He said that the six opposition parties would meet later to deliberate on a
common strategy for the presidential elections.
Gnininvi described as regrettable the disqualification of exiled opposition
leader of the UFC party Gilchrist Olympio by a residency clause in the Togo
constitution.
Togo's constitution says any candidate presenting himself for presidential
elections in Togo "must be resident in the country for 12 continuous
months".
Olympio has been living abroad since May 1992 when his convoy was ambushed
in Soudou, northern Togo by unidentified assailants. He accuses supporters
of the late Head of State Gnassingbe Eyadema for the assassination attempt.
Gnininvi told the press: "We his colleagues in the struggle for the
restoration of democracy in Togo will continue to show solidarity with
Olympio until we find a way of removing that prohibitive clause from the
statute books".
He would not, however, say whether the Alliance would field a single
candidate for the presidential elections.
Togo nationals residing in Nigeria yesterday stormed their country's embassy
in Lagos to protest the current political situation in the former French
colony.
About 100 protesters carrying placards with various inscriptions rejected
the appointment of the deputy speaker of the Togolese parliament, Mr. Abass
Bonfoh as the interim leader.
They vowed not to allow peace reign until the leaders complied with the
country's constitution.
The protesters, under the aegis of the Togolese Association for Democracy
(TAD) insisted that Bonfoh's appointment was nothing but a plot to rig the
presidential elections slated for April.
"Faure and his cohorts have successfully cleared the house and have put in
place a machinery to rig the elections," Prof. Maurice Fangnon, the leader
of the protesters, alleged.
He chided the leadership of ECOWAS for lifting the sanctions on Togo
prematurely when Faure resigned and not insisting on the return of the
speaker, Natchaba, to assume office as interim president in consonance with
Togo's Constitution.
"If we must speak the language of the people, Bonfoh Abass must go. The main
question remains why the legitimate speaker, Natchaba, who is still willing
to enter Lome and take over his position as Interim President and who enjoys
the support of the people of Togo, cannot be supported by ECOWAS?", he
queried.
Fangnon urged president Obasanjo to bring his leadership position to bear on
the crisis in Togo, warning that if the situation was allowed to snowball
into bloodshed, the AU and ECOWAS leaders would be held responsible.
"AU and ECOWAS should provide enough security for Natchaba and assist him to
enter Lome and assume his constitutional duty as the Interim President in
order to organise free and fair elections under the supervision of the
international community," he said.
Fangnon later presented a copy of the protest letter, addressed to the
interim government in Togo, to an official of the embassy.
The Togolese organised the protest in conjunction with a non-government
organisation, the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights and Democracy in
Africa (CDHRDA).
Speaking later with journalists, Jean Zwai Tsekpo, Togolese Charg d'
Affaires said the election process had started and the people were looking
forward to electing the country's new leader.
He called for caution and understanding, saying that the country needed
peace for elections to hold.
© 2003 - 2005 @ Guardian Newspapers Limited (All Rights Reserved).
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