Togo’s incumbent president Faure Gnassingbe has won the April 25 election, garnering 58.75 percent of the vote, according to provisional results disclosed on Tuesday by the National independent electoral commission (CENI).
Faure “is declared elected in respect of provisional results, pending constitutional court confirmation”, Taffa Tabiou, chairman of the CENI said at the end of the disclosure of results.
The incumbent president, seeking a third term, contested against four opposition candidates Jean-Pierre Fabre, Mouhamed Traore, Gerry Taama and Aime Gogue.
His main challenger Jean-Pierre Fabre came second with 34.95 percent of the vote, followed by Aime Gogue (3.08 percent), Gerry Taama (1.06 percent) and Mouhamed Traore (0.99 percent).
Results publication was fast tracked on Tuesday following incumbent ECOWAS President John Dramani Mahama and Ivorian President Alassane Dramane Ouattara’s visit to Lome on Tuesday.
The two heads of state have helped address fraud concerns raised by Jean-Pierre Fabre that have delay polling centers’ results assessment, causing results publication in dribs and drabs in the past two days.
At dawn on Sunday, only results of six out of the 42 electoral districts were disclosed, followed by results of five districts released on Monday.
According to the electoral code of Togo, the INEC will soon present the provisional results to the Constitutional Court, which is responsible for examining appeals and electoral disputes before proclaiming the final results.
Faure Gnassingbe came to power in April 2005, following a special election after the death on Feb. 5 the same year of his father General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled Togo from 1967 till his death. He was re-elected in March 2010 with 60.89 percent of the vote.
