Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe has been sworn in for a third term leading the West African nation, following his victory in the April 25 presidential balloting. Togo’s constitutional court confirmed the national election commission’s tally finding that the president polled 59 percent of the more than 1.2 million votes cast, to leading opposition candidate Jean-Pierre Fabre’s 35 percent.
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In Togo, Africa Marks Another Free Election
While Togo’s main opposition party voiced concerns over the voting count and civil society noted broader concerns about the electoral process leading up to Election Day, international observers including the Economic Community Of West African States, or ECOWAS, the African Union, and the Goree Institute, judged the election free and fair. Equally important, Mr. Fabre and others conceded the results, sparing the nation the kind of political tension and protest that cost hundreds of lives after the 2005 election.
The United States congratulates the people of Togo on exercising their democratic rights, and we look forward to continuing to work with President Gnassingbé to strengthen Togo’s democracy and build a prosperous nation for the Togolese people.