Amourlaye Toure and Paul Chick, IFES elections experts in Togo, give an overview of Election Day

It is 5 pm GMT in Togo, and the polls are currently closing. Today looked, sounded, and felt like a Sunday in Lome. The roads were completely deserted – only a few military trucks roamed some parts of town; shops were closed, as were banks, markets, and most workplaces. It seemed every Togolese was only concerned with accomplishing his/her duty as a citizen before going home to await the results.

Early this morning, at 7:00 a.m. exactly, the polls opened their doors all over the country. The CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission) showed the observers that the ballot boxes were empty, before sealing them properly to let the voting process begin.

Faure Gnassingbe, current president and candidate for a second mandate, voted this morning. “I am asking each and every Togolese to vote in peace. I am confident,” he declared. Other candidates voted too, and all mentioned the need for change expressed by the Togolese people through their great mobilization for this election.

The average opinion on this election is positive so far. Togolese voted in massive numbers, and the IFES office has recorded no violence yet.

”The organization is better than the other times and international observers were more present and engaged in the process,” explained a national observer. This time, there were no electric cuts, and the communication worked fine all day long.

A few incidents to note: A voter tried to commit fraud through voting twice, which was immediately taken care of by the FOSEP (Security Forces for the Presidential Elections). Other minor technical problems came along, but they were quickly solved by the CENI. Some of the rough areas of Lome such as Bè, did report low turnout. This is one of the districts that were targeted during the 2005 election violence incidents. Many lives were lost in 2005, so many local voters chose to stay away from the polls for the time being.

We can say that after a campaign period that for the most part was credible and fair, the Togolese community has shown a great maturity on Election Day. People were happily waiting in queue, holding their poll card with determination; this was clearly a big day for Togo. Nevertheless, the local community is not celebrating anything yet and they remind the observers not to draw any conclusion too quickly. After all, violence usually starts at the proclamation of the results. It may be hard to believe for the international community when they witnessed a happy and peaceful atmosphere today in Togo.

As for now, we switch our radios on, and wait...

Amourlaye Toure and Paul Chick
IFES/Lome