Presidential election campaign opens in Togo
The electoral campaign for the presidential election of February 22nd begins this Thursday in Togo. Seven candidates including outgoing President Faure Gnassingbé are in the running for the election which will see for the first time in the country’s history, the participation of Togolese in the Diaspora.
The outgoing President is running for a fourth five-year term at the head of the country. Six opposition candidates are competing in the presidential election.
These include Jean Pierre Fabre, former Leader of the Opposition, and Gabriel Messan Agbeyomé Kodjo, former Prime Minister under the late Gnassingbé Eyadema.
The ruling party camp has opted for a campaign strategy aimed at individually reaching potential voters, said Basile AGBO, a member of a local communication unit of the ruling party.
In a message broadcast on national television, Tchambakou Ayassor, chairman of CENI, reminded candidates of the rules to be respected during the election campaign. These include the ban on “donations and gifts in money or in kind for propaganda purposes to influence or attempt to influence the vote”.
The campaign must end 24 hours before the first round of voting on February 22nd. Ten thousand police and gendarmes are mobilized to ensure the security of the electoral process.
