The second camp, formed of the main opposition parties, is not at all interested.

According to them, Prez. Faure Gnassingbé is not the winner of the 4th march election. So he is not right to invite them to a government, joint or not. They add that, if it is true that Prez. Faure and his party, RPT, are confident on their victory, they must rule alone the country and must not need to call for any collaboration.
However, this position is not unanimous within these parties.

Thus, two of them, OBUTS of former prime minister Agbeyome Kodjo, and UFC, the main opposition party, of Gilchrist Olympio, are opened to division and threat of dislocation.

In the first party, some members tried to force their leader Agbeyome Kodjo to accept the president’proposal. There were a great battle ended by the exclusion of the “rebels”.

As concerns UFC, two groups are in opposition: the first, led by Gilchrist Olympio, the minority, is interested by the idea and went to meet Prime minister Houngbo for discussion. In addition, Gilchrist Olympio himself, went to the presidential palace to dicuss “power share” with Prez. faure Gnassingbe.

The other group, led by Jean-Pierre Fabre, secretary general of the party, and candidate to the presidential election, refuse to give continuation to the invitation, considering that the true winner is their candidate M.Fabre.

The misunderstanding is deep and the division visible. The second camp even threats to send away those who will enter the joint government under the label of the party.

Prez. Faure Gnassingbe has been declared winner of the 4th march election with 60,88%. Since then, opposition parties are demonstrating against this result, claiming to be stolen and spolied of their victory.

Colonel Yark, headmaster of togolese state force police and commander of special security force for presidential election said in a press conference that the youth movement is simply like a rebellion group. According to him, the movement is a danger and a great threat on the election because its goal is to destabilize the process, bombing the national electoral commission seat, and provoking revolution after the votation.

The Colonel states that it is not impossible that such movement exist in the country for the reason that nobody is no more willing to see again the 2005 election drama. That is why he promised to hamp by every mean the action s of the movement.

He said that as long as the movement slogan is “Change or death, we overrun”, there will lay a threat.

In the camp of the movement leaders, a journalist and a deputy, the says of the colonel are false.

“Our movement has no evil goal. We don’t own neither bombs nor guns. Our goal is to help opposition party to make reél and true the change through the victory in the presidential election” replied one of the movement’s leader. 

The movement stressed out that for many times the opposition won election but the ruling party never give up, staying in power with force and violence, killing and beating people. Their task is thus to avoid that such thing happen once again in this year election through sensitization and awakening.

“We reject all accusations and insist that our goal is legitime and fair.” added the leader.

Since the press conference of Colonel yark, the leaders of the movement are surveyed and even harassed. Their homes are surveyed and witnesses note that policemen even follow them when they come out of their homes. On Tuesday february 23, the police hamped the movement’s leaders to hold a press conference. It has been a hot afternoon and many asked what would have happened if…

A truth is that Togolese are now fearing. What will really be the next nearest days to the election day and how will ge days after votation.

“The current process, especially the last electoral census is not credible” claim the release.

According to the group of candiates, all of them belonging to the opposition obediance, the census is not at all well done bexause of lot of problems and dysfunctioning.

The release talk about registration machines that didn’t work well, centers of registration that opened very later if they didn’t simply open, multiple registration of people, registration of kids and foreigners, lack of fuel for the machines, etc.

For all these reasons, they think that the best thing to be done now by the electoral commission is to take again the operation by calling populations for a new electoral census.

At a meeting with political parties on Thursday 21 February, the electoral commission recognized the problems and dysfunctioning but seemed not to adhere to a new census.

It rather proposed a one-day registration operation in the centers where pronlems revealed to be very considerable.

this proposal did not please the six candidates and they told the commission so.

Il addition, the release said that the presidential decision that invited electors for the presidential votation is illegal. So, “it must be cancelled”

This decision is illegal, as they said, because, according to the law, such decision could not be taken as long as the true number of electors is not known. Only a good census can give this number. And yet, Prez. Faure Gnassingbe published this decision when the census was still going on.

Actually, the electoral process in Togo is becoming more and more worrying. If these cabdidates don’t abandon their claimings, what will happen tomorrow, next week, next month?

Togoles are wondering. 

In the list, Faure Gnassingbe, the current president and candidate of the ruling party, seems to have to fight the other seven candidates who, together, belong to the opposition.

Jean-Pierre Fabre is the secretary general of the most important opposition party. He replaces Gilchrist Olympio, blocked in the USA for back pains. Mr Fabre will have thus the charge to deal the party abd the militnats to the dream of change. Observers state that he will benefit from the audience of his “boss” Gilchrist Olympio. For many times, this party claims to have won presidential and parliamentarain election but official results show the contrary.

Another big candidate is the former Prime minister Mr Yawovi Agboyibo. Prime minister in 2006-2007, Mr Agboyibo has been twice at least candidate to this election but gains very small percentage. Although being the president of the second opposition party, nothing shows that he is able to win the vote.

Kofi Yamgnae is a new comer in the togolese politics. The former french minister of integration integrates his homeland politics since a year and had been a great contestant to the ruling party.

In the coming election, the novelty is the candidature of Mrs Adjamagbo-Johnson. First lady to take part in such election in the country, Mrs Adjamagbo-Johnson is a militnat of women rights and emancipation. She has been minister in the 1990s during political transition under Eyadèma Gnassingbe. On behalf of CDPA, the party of Prof. Gnininvi, opposition leader and former minister till last autumn, Mr Adjamagbo will try to maintain her party on the screen of domestic politics of Togo. For what chance really? No one knows.

Above all, the sure thing that can happen soon is the probable single candidate that all opposition leaders will appoint in order to fight efficiently current prez. Faure Gnassingbé. Since the votation system is one round, this is the most safe way for opposition to make room for change.

This is their challenge.

The votation is said to take place on february 28 this year.

“As long as there will not be an agreement that restores the two rounds votation, there will not be election in the country” said Patrick lawson, vice-president of the most representative opposition party, after the last discussion at Ouagadougou. According to this politician, the two rounds votation is a major condition for them to take part in the next election.

“The two rounds votation offers to the electors the opportunity to make a good choice, to elect a representative president, a president that has the support of at least 50% of the citizens. This is what we claim” added M. Patrick Lawson.

The opposition leaders and independent candidates have outlined since months the necessity of a return to the two rounds votation. Even demonstrations took place in Lomé for this purpose. But the government and the ruling party are deaf to such claiming.

According to the ruling party, time is not favourable for a constitutional reform such as change of votation system. It prefers then that the situation remains as it is till the election. In other words, government of Togo and ruling party think that the best thing to be done now is to organize the presidential election of february in respect of the single round votation and that after time will comme for the changes.

“There is no need to do such reform now. The transparency of the election doesn’t depend on the votation system. A single round votation is not a condition for the fairness and transparency of the election” stated Esso Solitoki, Secretary general of the ruling party, RPT.

With this debate, the armosphere in the country is becoming hot and people started fearing a lot for the coming election.

Till december 31, 2002, the Constitution of Togo recommend a two rounds votation for the presidential and parliamentarian elections as well as the limited mandate to presidents. In that day, former prez., late Eyadèma, asked the parlimaent to change the law. Thus, the single votation came to replace the original two rounds votation. 

“If the vote is not of 2 rounds, the election will not be possible” said Patrick Lawson, the vice-president of the major opposition political party a fortnight ago.   At the occasion, the politician said that there is not possibility for opposition partues to contest the coming presidential election if the ruling party does not agree on a 2 rounds votation. According to the Mp, it is not an issue of botcotting; it is rather an issue of impossibility for the election to take place. For this reason, plenty parties belonging to opposition demonstrated in the streets of Lomé, the capital town of Togo, last saturday november 28. Other candidates to the presidential election such as Kofi Yamgnane, former French minister of Integration, and Kodjo Agbeyomé, former Prime Minister and Parliament President under late Eyadèma were present. All of them have a single message; a 2 rounds votation or nothing.

In the other side, the government is not at all keen on listening to the claims of opposition leaders. According to the government, it is not compulsory to change the votation mode because the constitution has chosen a 1 round vote. Another reason expressed is the fact that the 1 round votation is not a new thing. 

“It is late Sylvanus Olympio that brought the 1 round votation in the country’s political story” dexlared M. Pascal Bodjona, a very close mate to president Faure Gnassingbe. “The votation mode has no link xith the fairness of the election” he added, trying to defend their position. Before him, another minister M. Bawara stated that the 2 round votation is not good because it brings violence and tension in the country and is expensive.

This debate shows clearly that the politicians are very far to understand themselves on this issue. Next days are very critical. God protects Togo.

“The Authority, after warnings and recommendations, can stop a programme, radio or television, or hang the edition of a newspaper for a fortnight, at least”, said the new law.

It means that, now, if a radio programme is judged incorrect by the Authority, it can be stopped easily without any further notice. The same for printing press. The Authority is allowed to stop the edition of a newspaper for until six months. The worst that can happen to togolese private-owned media is that the Authority has the legal right to close a radio or a television station, confiscate materials and on other hand to ban a newspaper permanently in addition to authoriisation paper and press card withdrawing.

According to togolese journalists, the new law is a threat to press freedom and a big step backward in democracy. Because till this friday November 30, the Authority of Regularisation didn’t have such power.

Consequently, media organizations of Togo are mobilising in order to fight the law.Thus, four organizations protest strongly againt this law through a press release.

“The organizations condemn the law which shows the real will of government to constraign private-owned media to silence at the edge of the coming presidential election of 2010 in Togo.” said the press release.

“Press is in danger in Togo” added the release while calling for the conscience of government on the bad and dangerous climate that is on way.

The new law is a modification of the 2004 law on the Authority. This former law didn’t give such big power to the Authority. At that time, Togo has been said to own the most free and fair press law in Africa and in the subregion. Since journalists jailing were not possible as well as ban of newspaper or closing of radio or television stations.