Togo’s ruling party has taken the lead in the country’s parliamentary elections, partial results showed Friday, while an opposition coalition was ahead in the capital Lome. Thursday’s long-delayed polls came after months of protests in the West African nation, with the opposition seeking to weaken the ruling family’s decades-long grip on power. President Faure Gnassingbe’s UNIR party was ahead in provisional results from the electoral commission seen by AFP, while the Let’s Save Togo coalition was the strongest opposition contender. Gnassingbe’s party was dominating the north of the country, its traditional stronghold, while Let’s Save Togo did particularly well in the capital.
The most prominent Let’s Save Togo candidate is longtime opposition figure Jean Pierre Fabre, who finished second to Gnassingbe in 2010 presidential elections.
The vote was mostly peaceful, though incidents such as late arrival of materials at some polling stations delayed openings.
The government also temporarily shut down an opposition-linked radio station as voting continued after it broadcast allegations of ruling party fraud, sparking a rowdy protest by several hundred people.
Full Article: Partial vote results show Togo ruling party ahead | eNCA.