ABUJA, Nigeria, May 1, 2024 – The Head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Election Observation Mission for the parliamentary and regional elections in Togo has expressed satisfaction with the smooth organisation of the double election that took place on Monday, April 29, 2024.
Former Gambian Vice-President, Mrs Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, who led the mission, praised the timely opening of most of the polling stations she visited in Lomé, the Togolese capital. She noted the peaceful and disciplined conduct of electoral procedures, the availability of electoral materials, and the presence of polling station officials, political party delegates, and election officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The ECOWAS team, which included the ECOWAS Permanent Representative in Togo, Bacar Banjai Barros, and representatives from the ECOWAS Parliament and Commission, visited the ECOWAS Situation Room of the Election Observation Mission. This room, led by Chinedu Chinedu Chukuemeka, Senior Programme Officer of the Network of Electoral Management Bodies in West Africa (RESAO), is set up to monitor the progress of the double ballot in real-time.
Approximately 4.2 million Togolese are expected to vote in over 14,000 polling stations to elect their new Members of Parliament and Regional Advisors. ECOWAS has deployed an Election Observation Mission of forty (40) Observers to Togo to monitor the country’s parliamentary and regional elections, in line with the provisions of Article 12 of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
The mission, which includes Ambassadors from Member States accredited to ECOWAS, representatives of the ECOWAS Court of Justice and Parliament, Civil Society Organisations, media professionals, and election observation specialists from the West African region, underscores the regional organisation’s commitment to supporting its Member States in conducting their elections.
