Togo President looks for fourth term as campaign ends

Togo’s long-serving President Faure Gnassingbé has urged voters to return him to office for a fourth term as the first round of presidential elections drew to a close on Saturday. 

Speaking to his hometown of Kara, north of the capital Lomé, the president spurred voters to head to the polls, saying the future of the country was in their hands now. 

President Gnassingbé is running on a Union for the Republic party ticket and will be principally challenged by Jean-Pierre Fabre of the National Allicance for Change (ANC) party. 

Mr Fabre came second in the last two elections, having been unable to unite opposition factions. 

Also competing is former Prime Minister Agbéyomé Kodjo, who served under Mr Gnassingbé’s father when he was president. Mr Kodjo is running for the Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development party.

President Gnsassingbé took over from his late father in 2005 and is seeking to extend his family’s half a century of rule in Togo.

Despite protests in 2017 and 2018, the president was able to push through constitutional changes last year that allowed him to run for office again.

His latest bid has been endorsed by Archbishop Philippe Fanoko Kpodzro, the Archbishop Emeritus of Lomé and the dean of the bishops of Togo. 

Photo: AFP