23:31 – Togo: ECOWAS calls for elections by the end of the year

Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) pleaded Tuesday for the holding of parliamentary elections by the end of the year to Togo, as the presidential party wants, after a summit in Lome. Over the past few months, tens of thousands of Togolese have taken to the streets several times at the call of the coalition of the opposition to demand the departure of President Faure Gnassingbe and the application of the 1992 Constitution which limits to two the number of presidential terms. The opposition does not want to hear about parliamentary elections in the current context because it fears "fraudulent". But ECOWAS, which plays the role of facilitator to promote a way out of the crisis in the country, adopted Tuesday a series of recommendations including the holding of parliamentary elections before the end of the year, which rejects the block opposition. "The conference of heads of state urges the government to proceed to the complete revision of the electoral register with a view to the organization, on December 20, 2018 of the legislative elections", could be read in the final communiqué of the Summit. "The Conference congratulates the opposition for its openness and sense of responsibility and for subscribing to the dialogue," stressed African Heads of State, who conceded two points to the opposition: the diaspora and the two-round presidential election scheduled for 2020. Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé succeeded his father, who led the country for 38 years, in 2005 and has since been reelected in contested elections by the opposition. The coalition calls for a two-term limit on the number of presidential terms, but this measure is retroactive, which would prevent the head of state from representing himself in 2020 for a fourth term. ECOWAS, whose almost all members came to power through democratic alternation, also recommended that Togo apply the two-term limitation, but that it not apply to the next 2020 election. (Belga)

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