Faure Gnassingbe, the son of Togo's late military leader, Gnassingbe Eyadema (who ruled for 38 years) has won the presidential election! He won 60% of the votes.

"We do not like that small boy to govern us, we do not like that small boy to govern us. His father did bad against us. How can we leave his son to treat us as animals. We are not animals." (Togolese Youth)

"No, I did not want to be president. I just wanted to do some politics for maybe 10 years, then go for business because before coming into politics I was in business, and then everyone knows what happened, and then my party selected me to go for the candidacy." (Faure on his political intentions prior to his father's death)

"I am the new image of Togolese youth, the new image of Togo. I'm going to take this country to the next level. More freedom, more democracy. It's the only way we can solve our problems." (Faure Gnassingbe at campaign rallies)

"Mr Faure received 60% of the votes, while main opposition candidate Emmanuel Bob-Akitani got 38% of votes cast." (electoral commission chairwoman Kissem Tchangai Walla)

"The president said his victory would be a victory for the Togolese people. You can be sure that he will extend his hand to all citizens so that together we can build a stable Togo." (Komi Klassou, Gnassingbe’s campaign director)

"Like his father, Gnassingbe is a man of very few words. But he does have the fierce loyalty of the country's well-organized and well-equipped military. Born in 1966 to a mother who hails from Atakpame in central Togo, he is one of Eyadema's many sons and seen as the most levelheaded. He studied at France's Sorbonne University and has an MBA from the George Washington University in the United States." (Sun News Online)

Sun News Online | Voice of America Article | Seattle Times | BBC News

I think it's nice that our president played a part in this process. I am not surprised that Faure won; and he will probably have won with or without rigging; the 'devil' you know is better than the angel you don't know.

This is another thumb-down for the African continent. A further retrogression into mal-administration, jaundiced politics, corruption and "sit-tight-leadership-syndrome" . Seun is right; "he probably will have won with or without rigging".

What does the Eyademas family has for the impoverished Togolese people again? What has Togo to show for the 38 miserable years of Eyadema's mis-rule? Tell me, is there no other competent person in Togo save someone from Eyadema's family?

The first picture posted by Seun showed happy laughing people queuing up for the election. Tell me again, what does these ignorant people knows? Can you really blame them?

Africa has failed once more in convicing the whole world that they have grown up, and that they are ready to do way with corruption, tribalism and bad leaderhip.

I hope I have not created a false impression by posting only those two pictures. There have been [I]violent protests[/I] (trust Africans) among supporters of the opposition.

Read the new links in my first post to find out more. For the latest news on developments in Togo, you can also try http://allafrica.com/togo/newswire/. Those protesters constitute what I like to call the 'militant minority' in any population. People who don't value peace.
[img]http://www.nairaland.com.nyud.net:8090/img/togo-protesters.jpg[/img]

The event in Togo today is showing us how greed, power and in -sincerity has eating deep into black african countries.

Let's add a new perspective to this. When you view world events the question that usually comes to mind is "can this happen here?"

Now Imagine this. Somehow, Atiku and all the other contestants are disqualified and Gbenga Obasanjo is seen as the major candidate (or even the only candidate after EFCC has finished with the other contestants.) What would you do? Nothing!

Recently, he was in Nigeria to "renew his friendship with the Nigerian President and to express gratitude to him for helping in the restoration of democracy to Togo"

http://www.nigeriafirst.org/article_4700.shtml

if this was to happen innigeria, hopefully someone would execute the culprits

obong:

if this was to happen innigeria, hopefully someone would execute the culprits

A post from 2005. Kind of ironic how African countries go in circles. We never learn. There should have been adequate security in the North immediately after the presidential elections.

And 13 years after that, Africa is still shitty as ever.