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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2005
CONTACT: Chris Fomunyoh 202.728.5540
Senior Associate for Africa
[email protected]
NDI CALLS FOR DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION IN TOGO
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) joins others across the African continent and in the broader international community in condemning the illegal seizure of political power in Togo. The Institute stands behind Togolese democrats in their calls for a constitutional transition process that will lead to democratic elections. NDI applauds the efforts of Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konar� and President Olusegun Obasanjo on behalf of the African Union, and President Mamadou Tandja on behalf of ECOWAS, to encourage constitutional order in Togo.
After 38 years of autocratic rule, the Togolese people should be able to exercise their fundamental political rights as guaranteed in their constitution. Regrettably, entrenched interests have subverted those rights by disrupting the constitutional succession to ensure their continued control over the country. Efforts to give this illegitimate intervention a veneer of legality-through after-the-fact constitutional amendments passed by the legislature-deserve equal condemnation. The country's new authorities have announced their intention to hold elections. However, given their willingness to subvert the constitution in order to attain power, there is no reason to believe that they would not manipulate a future election to maintain that power.
NDI has supported democracy in Togo since 1993, when the Institute planned and later canceled an observation of the 1993 elections due to irregularities in voter registration and the government's demonstrated lack of commitment to an open and transparent electoral process. NDI's later attempts to work with the National Assembly in 1996, to monitor elections in 1998, and most recently to foster dialogue between the Togolese political parties in 2002, were similarly stymied by the regime's unwillingness to allow the expression of diverse political opinions in Togo.
The Institute stands ready to support Togolese efforts to advance democratic institutions and processes. NDI urges a peaceful resolution of the current political crisis based on constitutional order and democratic principles.
Additional information about NDI can be found on the Internet at: www.ndi.org.