Togolese parliamentary election, 2013
| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Togo |
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 25 July 2013.[1]
Contents
Background[edit]
Some members of the opposition sought a postponement in order to see electoral reforms take effect prior to the elections, while others sought the repeal of the changes as improperly introduced. Amongst the latter was the controversial gerrymandering of constituency borders in favour of the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR), led by President Faure Gnassingbé, and the 10 seat increase in the number of members of the National Assembly from 81 to 91.
Though the government banned street demonstrations in commercial areas, citing an inability to maintain security and public order, protest organizers from opposition and civil society groups pledged to carry out protests and denounced what they termed an attempt to stifle criticism. Protests termed "Let's Save Togo" were then planned for 21–23 August. On the first day, several thousand protesters commenced a march in Lome's Be neighbourhood and then headed to the commercial district of Deckon, where 100 police officers were deployed. Trouble then arose amid a dispute as to whether the protest march would end in Deckon for a rally or proceed further. The protesters were then dispersed using tear gas 10 minutes after the march commenced.[2]
Election date[edit]
The election was originally scheduled for October 2012, but protests and strikes asking for electoral reforms delayed the process. After being rescheduled for 24 March 2013, it was postponed again, first to 21 July 2013,[3][4] then to 25 July 2013.
Electoral system[edit]
The 91 members of the National Assembly were elected by closed list proportional representation in 30 multi-member constituencies.[5]
Results[edit]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union for the Republic | 880,608 | 46.7 | 62 |
| Save Togo Collective | 544,592 | 28.9 | 19 |
| Rainbow Alliance | 204,143 | 10.8 | 6 |
| Union of Forces for Change | 145,359 | 7.7 | 3 |
| Patriotic Pan-African Convergence | 15,602 | 0.8 | 0 |
| New Togo Engagement | 14,225 | 0.8 | 0 |
| Independents | 14,360 | 0.8 | 1 |
| Other parties | 66,171 | 3.5 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 119,430 | – | – |
| Total | 2,011,203 | 100 | 91 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 3,044,332 | 66.1 | – |
| Source: Adam Carr | |||
Initial results showed a landslide victory for UNIR, which was projected to win 60 out of 91 seats, with the remaining seats distributed among opposition parties. The opposition Union of Forces for Change suffered a defeat, losing most of their 27 seats. The National Alliance for Change (Alliance national pour le changement, ANC) was expected to become the largest opposition party.[6][7]
Aftermath[edit]
When the National Assembly began meeting for its new term, Dama Dramani, a UNIR deputy, was elected as President of the National Assembly on 2 September 2013. Opposition deputies boycotted the vote because UNIR was unwilling to give them the posts of first and second vice-president in the Bureau of the National Assembly. Consequently UNIR deputies were elected to all of the 11 posts in the Bureau.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ http://allafrica.com/stories/201307130033.html
- ^ Al Jazeera: Togo police disperse fair vote rally
- ^ Togo to kick off voter registration on March 15 Xinhua, 7 March 2013
- ^ AFP via Google: Togo opposition figure charged over market fires
- ^ Election Profile IFES
- ^ http://www.togoactualite.com/legislatives-les-premieres-tendances-favorables-au-pouvoir-unir/ Togo Actualité
- ^ http://www.ceni-tg.org/elections-2013/elections-legislatives/resultats/ Togo Independent Electoral Commission
- ^ "Le Togo élit un nouveau président de l'Assemblée Nationale", AFP, 2 September 2013 (French).
External links[edit]
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