Parliamentary election in Togo 2018
The parliamentary elections in Togo took place on December 20, 2018. It was boycotted by large parts of the opposition .
Starting position
From August 2017, a nationwide protest movement developed calling for the long-term President Faure Gnassingbé to be limited . The military used tear gas, live ammunition and mass arrests. Some people were killed in clashes with security forces. The months of protests put a strain on Togo's economy.
At the beginning of 2018, through mediation by the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) , the government agreed to a dialogue with the opposition and leaders of the protests. ECOWAS recommended that the government review the electoral register in an open and fair process, introduce the option of runoff votes in the electoral system, limit the president's term of office to two times, and organize the electoral authority and constitutional court more independently and transparently. The government did not implement any of these proposals, it merely offered opposition groups four of the thirteen seats in the electoral authority, which they rejected.
Well-known opposition leader Nicodème Ayao Habia went on hunger strike and demanded the release of those arrested in 2017. There were reports of harassment, arrest and torture by police suspects of the opposition. The government banned - unconstitutionally - protests before, during and after the election.
An alliance of several opposition parties called C14 boycotted the election, which she describes as a "farce".
Result
The final election result was announced by the Constitutional Court on December 31, 2018:
| Parties | Seats |
|---|---|
| Union pour la Republique (UNIR) | 59 |
| Union des Forces du Changement (UFC) | 7th |
| Nouvel Engagement Togolais (NET) | 3 |
| Mouvement Patriotique pour la Démocratie et le Développement (MPDD) | 2 |
| Mouvement des Républicains Centristes (MRC) | 1 |
| Parti Démocratique Panafricain (PDP) | 1 |
| Independent candidates | 18th |
| Source: | |
In comparison with the preliminary result published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Céni) on December 23, 2018, there was another mandate shift: One seat moved from the MPDD to the UFC. According to the preliminary results, the turnout was 59.25 percent.
| Registered voters | 3,155,837 |
| Votes cast | 1,869,717 |
| Valid votes | 1,751,110 |
| Invalid votes | 118,607 |
| Source: | |
Reactions
Election observers from the African Union and ECOWAS judged the elections to be “fair and transparent”, but expressed regret over the boycott by the opposition.
supporting documents
- ^ Togo: Domestic Policy. In: Auswaertiges-amt.de . July 1, 2019, accessed December 30, 2019.
- ↑ a b Siobhan O'Grady: 'It's just barbarity': Togo's political prisoners describe torture in police custody. In: latimes.com . June 4, 2018, accessed December 30, 2019.
- ↑ Several dead in Togo protest clashes with police. In: france24.com . October 17, 2018, accessed December 30, 2019.
- ^ A b c Nick Bailey: Elections in Togo: What Happens When the World Isn't Watching. In: freedomhouse.org . January 28, 2019, accessed December 30, 2019.
- ↑ David Signer : The repression and the democratic cloak in Togo. In: nzz.ch . October 9, 2018, accessed December 30, 2019.
- ^ Daniel Pelz: Togo: Parliamentary elections without opposition. In: dw.com . December 20, 2018, accessed December 30, 2019.
- ↑ Results of définitifs des élections législatives au Togo. In: dw.com . December 31, 2018, accessed December 30, 2019 (French).
- ↑ a b Proclamation des résultats provisoires des résultats législatives 2018. (PDF; 259 kB) In: ceni-tg.org . December 23, 2018, accessed December 30, 2019 (French).
- ^ Togo President's Party Wins Majority in Parliament. In: voanews.com . December 24, 2018, accessed December 30, 2019.
