Electioneering Ends In Togo Ahead Of Legislative, Regional Polls

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) —Two-week campaigns for legislative and regional elections ended in Togo ahead of Monday's polls.

At least 4.2 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots across the country, according to the national electoral body.

The election pits the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR) party headed by President Faure Gnassingbe and the opposition.

Over 2,300 candidates are contesting for the 113 parliamentary seats.

A team of observers from the African Union, the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc are in the country to observe the polls.

Ballot counting is expected to begin after voting ends on the same day.

The government announced a public holiday on Monday and the closing of the country's land borders to facilitate the smooth running of the elections.

The elections come amid a tense political climate after the National Assembly earlier this month approved a new constitution, switching the country from a presidential to a parliamentary system.

The constitutional reforms triggered a crackdown on protests organized by the country's activists and opposition leaders, who sought to stop Gnassingbe from signing the bill into law, which effectively scraps direct elections of future presidents.

The opposition views the new constitution as a ploy to allow Gnassingbe to prolong his grip on power when his term ends in 2025, a claim dismissed by the ruling party.

The ruling UNIR party has an overwhelming majority in the outgoing parliament.

But the main opposition National Alliance for Change (ANC) hopes to obtain as many lawmakers and regional councilors as possible in Monday's polls, said its leader, Jean-Pierre Fabre.

The election had been scheduled on April 20 before it was postponed by the president, citing the need to carry out "consultations" on the disputed constitutional reforms. The opposition boycotted the 2018 general election.

Gnassingbe's father Gnassingbe Eyadema ruled the small West African nation for almost four decades before the son succeeded him with the support of the military. -