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Court gives Gnassingbe the nod
04/05/2005 08:16 - (SA)
Lome - Togo's constitutional court has certified election results showing the son of this West African nation's late dictator had won last month's presidential ballot.
The results had sparked deadly riots in the streets of the capital and a flow of refugees out of the country. The High Court confirmation on Tuesday, while expected, raised concerns there could be more violence.
Chief Justice Atsu Koffi Amagah confirmed results released last week by the electoral commission, saying Faure Gnassingbe won 60% of the vote and opposition leader Bob Akitani took 38%.
Akitani had filed an appeal to contest the results, complaining ballot boxes were stuffed and stolen, and voter registration lists were tampered with.
Amagah said, "The petition filed by Akitani lacks substance, evidence and merit."
"According to the constitution, the candidate with the majority of votes must be declared president," Amagah said. "Therefore, the court declares Faure Gnassingbe the legally elected new president of the Republic of Togo."
Gnassingbe, 39, is expected to be inaugurated within 48 hours.
The announcement raised concerns of a return to deadly street fighting that has sent 20 000 refugees fleeing.
The April 26 announcement of Gnassingbe's provisional victory sparked two days of clashes between security forces and outraged opposition supporters that left at least 22 dead nationwide.
There were no immediate signs of violence on Tuesday. Security forces dismantled barricades made of torn cobblestones in the opposition stronghold of Be, where much of last week's violence occurred.
Most shops closed early before the announcement, and streets downtown were empty, though small groups of soldiers deployed heavily across the seaside city, patrolling in vehicles and standing on corners with guns.
The United Nations said Togolese fearing instability continued to flee.
About 18 500 refugees have been registered in neighbouring Ghana and Benin, where relief camps are starting to reach capacity, the UN refugee agency said in a statement.
Togo fell into crisis February 5 when Gnassingbe Eyadema, the country's strongman of nearly 40 years, died of a heart attack, and loyalists in the military installed his son to succeed him.
Under heavy international pressure from African nations that called the succession a coup, Gnassingbe stepped down and promised to run in elections.
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