Togolese Elections 4 March, 2010

The Togolese population is ready for change, but channels for that momentum and energy are difficult to find and organize. Elections have been postponed from February 28 to March 4, at the request of the opposition. President Faure Gnassingbe noted that the elections are being delayed "with the aim of permanently seeking consensus and maintaining a peaceful climate during the electoral process."

While I have my opinion on what the outcome of the election will almost certainly be, all I can do is hope, both personally and professionally, that the government, the opposition and the population can find a balance of non-violence during the campaigns and the election. May peaceful means of protest be tolerated and violence towards the status quo be restrained.

Here are a few links to Togolese election news:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201002171118.html (Togo's First Female Candidate! Although she withrew fearing fraudulent results and in protest of flawed electoral processes...joining the main opposition party, the UFC, who withdrew in mid-February)

More on the UFC withdrawal here:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201002150588.html

Five Opposition Parties come together under the umbrella of FRAC in support of new UFC candidate Jean-Pierre Fabre:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201002180813.html

More information on Jean-Pierre Fabre - interesting character - can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Pierre_Fabre

And here is his campaign site and the UFC site (en francais):

http://www.fabre-togo.com/biographie-de-jean-pierre-fabre.php; http://www.ufctogo.com/-Historique-.html

Et bien sur, the RPT (ruling party of President Faure) site, synonymous with the official site of the Republic of Togo:

http://www.republicoftogo.com/