Tension as Togo’s presidential election holds Saturday

Tension heightens in Togo as the West African country prepares for another presidential election on Saturday, February 22, 2020.

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe who has been in power since 2005 is all but certain to win a fourth term at the ballot on Saturday and has changed the constitution to allow himself potentially to stay in charge until 2030.

The Gnassingbe family has dominated the tiny West African state for more than half a century, But after 53 years of his family’s rule, the signs of neglect and stunted development are evident to see around Sokode.

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As the D-day approaches, Sokode, the second-largest city in Togo, is still under lockdown with more than ten people killed lately in wild protest demanding that the 53-year-old leader, who took over power in 2005 after the death of his father, leave office.

Trucks filled with armed soldiers continually patrol the main streets and residents complain of searches in their homes, beatings on their streets and a nightly curfew.

Gnasssingbe promised to create 500,000 jobs across the country by 2022 to ease the frustrations of a large number of unemployed youths in the country.