Lomé,
TOGO
Togo President Faure Gnassingbe has
won a fourth term in power, the national electoral commission declared on
Monday, as his main rival accused authorities of fraud.
The
incumbent leader took 72 percent of the vote share in the first round of the
presidential election, the commission said, far ahead of former Prime Minister
Agbeyome Kodjo, with 18 percent.
The
widely expected win extends more than a half century of dynastic rule over the
former French colony by Gnassingbe's
family despite broad disillusionment over its failure to drag many out of poverty.
Gnassingbe
has led the country of eight million people since taking over in 2005 following
the death of his father Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled with an iron fist for 38
years.
In May,
he oversaw an overhaul of the constitution that allowed him to run this year --
and potentially remain in office until 2030.
Gilbert
Barawa, minister of public functions and a strong supporter of the president,
described the result as "an unprecedented score" for the president,
who was elected with 58 percent of the vote five years ago.
"Faure
Gnassingbe has made a great breakthrough in formerly difficult areas," he
said.
Hours
before the official results were announced, Kodjo, who was Prime Minister under
Gnassingbe's father, had declared his own victory as "democratically
elected president" with between 57 and 61 percent of the vote.
He
promised to form his own "inclusive government in the coming days",
accusing authorities of using ballot stuffing and fake polling stations to skew
the results in the incumbent's favour.
Kodjo had
emerged as a dark horse challenger in the race after winning the backing of an
influential former Catholic archbishop.
The
authorities banned hundreds of local observers from monitoring Saturday's
election and cancelled the system of electronic security at the last
moment.
Some 300
international observers were deployed, mainly from the Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS)
and the African Union, with many African states supporting the incumbent.
Six
opposition challengers had suggested they would unite against Gnassingbe if he
failed to win an outright majority and the election had proceeded to a second
round.
In 2017
and 2018, Togolese authorities faced major protests demanding an end to the
family's five-decade rule.
Despite
economic growth of around five percent, around half of Togo lives on
less than $1.90 per day.
But the
demonstrations faded in the face of government repression and squabbles among
the opposition.
Stability
and security were central to the president's message as jihadist violence rocks
northern neighbour Burkina Faso.
Togo has
so far managed to prevent the bloodshed spilling over and its army and
intelligence service are considered to be among the most effective in the
region.
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