CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Pascal Dotchevi, Togo, May 1998
THEME = POLITICS
In 1993, the Opposition boycotted the presidential elections.
This year, the elections are being held in June, with four candidates standing for
election
against the incumbent President, Gnassingbé Eyadéma
The election was first scheduled for 7 June (first round) and 21 June (second round). Now it will take place on 14 June and 28 June 1998. The Constitutional Court decided to change the date after due consultations with the Prime Minister. The PM wanted to settle a dispute between his government and the Opposition which said the original dates were not in line with Constitutional norms.
In February, the government organised the updating of the electoral lists. This exercise took place amid complete indifference and total confusion. The Opposition still challenges the lists' reliability and is demanding that the updating exercise be repeated, especially as the National Electoral Commission (CEN) which is supervising the running of this election, has made it clear that lots of young people failed to register their names - when everyone knows the voting population is largely made up of the younger generation.
Whose fault is it? The present situation came about because both the authorities and the political parties failed to inform people about the importance of registering their names on the voters' lists. The opposition parties wrote to the Interior Minister, asking him to make sure the population is aware of the importance of this updating exercise. They received a stinging rebuff from the Minister, who had forbidden any political demonstrations during this period.
In a summary statement, the CEN promised, together with the government, to find practical solutions to these problems. But just a short time from the elections, the same problems are still with us.
And there are other problems, too. The Opposition still has no idea what kind of ballot paper will be used during the elections. The Opposition prefers just one ballot paper (containing all the candidates' names) because that will reduce the possibility of electoral fraud. The government, on the other hand, wants to use multiple ballot papers (i.e. one ballot paper for each candidate), because this will be less confusing for voters, most of whom are illiterate.
If this wasn't the only problem causing a bust-up among politicians, the Cabinet has just passed a Decree increasing the presidential candidates' deposit from ten million to twenty million CFA francs (20,000 FF). Some opposition parties describe this move as "an attempt by the authorities to ensure certain people are unable to offer themselves for election", especially as just 45 days away from the election, nothing justifies this exaggerated increase. One of Eyadéma's supporters puts it this way: "If you haven't got 20,000 CFA francs and you want to be President of the Republic, you're a non- starter from the word "go"". And yet, in spite of the 20 million CFA francs deposit, candidates seem to have sprung up everywhere!
Since the last presidential and parliamentary elections, there's been leadership problems and personal interests at stake among the opposition political parties. But there was hope they could get their act together for these very important presidential elections. Any hope of reaching an inter-party agreement was shattered when on 14 March, during its annual congress, Professor Léopold Gnininvi's Democratic Convention of the African People (CDPA) chose him as their presidential candidate. His candidature caught people by surprise for he was the unflinching defender of the slogan, well-known in Togo since 1993: "Democracy first; Multipartyism afterwards". He explained his position in this way: "My fellow party members saw that a multiplicity of presidential hopefuls among the Opposition couldn't be avoided. So they accepted their responsibility and chose me as their candidate".
He wasn't alone in the presidential race as the Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) chose its president, General Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Togo's President for nigh on thirty years, as its candidate. A few weeks later. the main opposition party, the Action Committee for Renewal (CAR), chose Yao Agboyibor as its candidate.
On 27 April, anniversary of Togo's independence, Gilchrist Olympio, son of the country's first President, Sylvanus Olympio, who was murdered on 13 January 1967 by Eyadéma, returned home after six years absence. He had left Togo on 5 May 1993 following an attempt on his life in the north when one of his colleagues, Dr Marc Atidépe, was killed. Arriving back home, Olympio said: "I'm happy to get back home...and I hope this time it's for good". Thousands of Togolese travelled to Togo's frontier with Ghana to welcome him. The same day his party, the Union of Forces for Change (UFC) chose him as their candidate for the election. "Now the owner's arrived, so the lodger better get out" quipped Olympio's supporters, with an obvious reference to General Eyadéma. Mr Olympio is the strongest challenger to the sitting President. The two men have never met. Referring to the General-President, Mr Olympio often says: "I don't even know the man". According to some political observers, these elections could develop into a stand up fight between Eyadéma and Olympio, in spite of the number of candidates who have offered themselves as presidential candidates.
There's Jacques Amouzou who stood against Eyadéma as an "independent" in 1993. He only received 2% of votes cast. Now he's reappearing in the race for the presidency, as candidate for the party he founded, the Union of Independent Liberals (ULI).
Finally comes a new opposition candidate who has just appeared on the scene. He's Zarifiou Ayéva from the Democratic Party for the Republic (PDR).
So the Opposition's got four candidates for the presidency. Which means, according to certain political analysts, that the Opposition might defeat itself if it doesn't manage to get its act together and choose just one candidate.
All things considered, many people think that at all costs, these elections must not be like those of 1993. If they are, it could be the end of the road for Togo. Be that as it may, most Togolese are asking themselves: "Can these political battles bring us anything new?"
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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