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Two decades and counting: when will local elections be held in Togo?

Presidential elections in Togo are scheduled for the first half of 2015. Important as they are, these polls should not overshadow the need for local elections, which are paramount in rooting democratic culture in the country

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Local elections have not been held in Togo since 1986, with different governments always postponing the process.

Pressure from opposition parties, civil society and the European Union (EU) on the government of Togo has thus far not been successful.

Local councils continue to be managed by special delegation members or local councillors, and prefectures by prefectural councillors, who are all appointed by the central government.

All the political and civil society actors agree that the present method of appointing local officials is unconstitutional, and prevents the consolidation of democracy in decentralised communities. The Togolese Constitution of 1992, revised in 2002, provides for a decentralisation process by which municipalities, prefectures and regions are to be administered by councils elected through universal suffrage.

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But if the different actors acknowledge the need for local elections, their positions vary when it comes to how such elections should be organised. For its part, the government has opted for a dialogue with all political parties and civil society on the prospects of decentralisation and local elections. Consultations were initiated with all the political parties following the 2013 legislative elections to prepare for local elections.

Voters queue outside a polling station during the 2013 legislative elections. Photo: Reuters

Voters queue outside a polling station during the 2013 legislative elections. Photo: Reuters

The support committee for decentralisation and local elections, which was announced on 21 October 2014 by Gilbert Bawara, Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Local Government, falls within this context. This committee, which comprises eight members, has been given six months to develop a roadmap for the organisation of the local elections. The results of the committee’s work will be submitted to the political parties.

The government has pointed to a lack of financial resources and infrastructure to accommodate new local representatives to justify the delayed local elections. However, the government appoints special delegation members and prefectural advisors, which means that these staff serve the government’s own political interests, especially during election periods. In addition, the results of the parliamentary elections of 2007 and 2013 – which revealed that large cities such as Lomé voted largely for the opposition – are not likely to motivate those in power to rush to organise elections.

Furthermore, the opposition parties – even if they claim to defend the necessity of local elections, had not really included this topic in their priorities in the past. The fear of losing such elections, and thereby reinforcing the legitimacy of the ruling party, was too strong. It should be remembered that the Union of Forces for Change (UFC) – the main opposition party in 2003 – had refused to participate in such a vote when the government of the time tried to organise an election for December of that year.

However, the 2007 parliamentary elections – a victory for the opposition in some major cities, including the capital – sparked hope that the balance of power could be tipped in the opposition’s favour. The 2013 legislative elections revived that hope following the opposition’s victory in key electoral districts such as the Grand Lomé, where it won 415 261 votes (eight seats), against 106 597 votes (two seats) for the ruling party.

President of the Union of Forces for Change, Gilchrist Olympio (L) and Togo President Faure Gnassingbe (C) meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Photo: AP/US Department of State

President of the Union of Forces for Change, Gilchrist Olympio (L) and Togo President Faure Gnassingbe (C) meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Photo: AP/US Department of State

Given the lack of will among political actors, civil society organisations that work in the area of good governance have set out to educate and train people about participation in the political life of their communities.

They have also been reminding government through advocacy, press conferences and seminars of the need to organise the elections. These actions have included the work of the Plateforme Citoyenne pour les Élections Locales et l’Enracinement de la Démocratie à la Base, which brings together hundreds of non-governmental organisations, associations and media.

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Civil society’s efforts have helped to educate citizens about local governance. But the reluctance of the government to organise the elections and the passivity of the opposition, who had failed to do anything tangible to ensure elections take place, had worked in favour of the status quo. This had the result of depriving citizens of certain benefits of decentralisation.

Decentralisation hinges upon the management of local government structures by elected representatives. But because of their current mode of appointment, municipal and prefectural boards suffer from a lack of legitimacy, which has resulted in a lack of confidence and mistrust. It has also fostered a rise of incivility with some citizens refusing to pay taxes, while the operating budget of most municipalities mainly depends on market taxes.

"Voting is a right ... it is also a duty!"

“Voting is a right … it is also a duty!”

The absence of local elections has also impeded the development of decentralised entities, and the powers of the appointed officials have been reduced to the management of common business. This has weakened their ability to mobilise resources needed to implement policies and local development plans. The result is a lack of development programmes and citizens’ access to basic essential services, as well as a lack of building local government capacity. These pitfalls have increased poverty and affect community life significantly.

Local elections, when organised frequently, contribute to establishing democracy at the local level, and guarantee the legitimacy of the elected authority. It’s been more than two decades since the last local elections. How long must the citizens of Togo still wait?

This article was first published by the Institute for Security Studies, and is republished here with their permission.

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