New leader promises transparent elections but doesn't say when

Togo's new leader, Faure Gnassingbe, pledged on Wednesday to hold free and transparent elections as other West African presidents gathered to discuss his seizure of power in what has been widely branded as a military coup. "We want serious discussions... that will lead as soon as possible to the organisation of free and transparent elections that reflect the will of the people," he said in his first broadcast to the nation on state television and radio. But Gnassingbe did not say what kind of elections would be held, nor when. He spoke as the presidents of nine other countries in the region met to discuss the succession crisis in Togo at an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Niger, Gnassingbe, 39, was formerly the minister responsible for Togo's phosphate mines. He was hurriedly installed as president by the army last Saturday following the death in office of his father and Africa's longest-serving head of state, Gnassingbe Eyadema. The armed forces, whose senior ranks are dominated by members of Eyadema's Kabiye ethnic group from northern Togo, igored the constitution which decreed power should pass to Fambare Ouattara Natchaba, the head of the national assembly. Parliament was hurriedly convened on Sunday to retroactively legitimise Gnassingbe's takeover. At the same time, it amended the constitution to allow him to remain president for three years without calling fresh elections. In his first address to the nation on Wednesday, Gnassingbe made no mention of the fierce criticism of his accession to power that has poured in from around the world. Instead he promised reforms, a dialogue with exiled opposition groups and fresh elections. His father, who had ruled this small West African country with an iron hand for 38 years, had already promised parliamentary elections in 2005 during negotiations aimed at securing a resumption of aid from the European Union. But Gnassingbe did not set a date for the polls. Neither did he say whether presidential elections would be held before the end of his father's term in 2008, which parliament has authorised him to serve out. Leaders from Africa and further afield have been calling for a democratic transition in Togo ever since Eyadema died as he was being flown abroad for medical treatment. The 53-nation African Union (AU) has threatened to impose sanctions. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the chairman of AU, called on African leaders to reject the new regime, saying the succession in Togo "did not give us comfort that peace will follow." Many Togolese hoping for new chapter Obasanjo and eight other ECOWAS heads of state met for emergency talks in Niamey on Wednesday to discuss the transition of power in Togo, which is a member of the organisation. "The expectation of many was that his (Eyadema's) demise would open up a new chapter in the history of Togo... that remains the hope of many Togolese," Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the executive secretary of ECOWAS, told the BBC ahead of the talks. After Eyadema's death power should have passed to the head of the national assembly and within 60 days, the country's five million people should been able to go to the ballot box to choose a new president. However, Natchaba was in Europe when Eyadema's death was announced and the authorities closed Togo's international airport and land frontiers for three days, preventing his return until Gnassingbe's assumption of power had become a fait accompli. In his speech on Wednesday, Gnassingbe thanked the security forces for maintaining law and order and urged them to stay united. "We are counting... particularly on the army and the security forces who must continue to guarantee the peace and security necessary to realise our dreams," the former Minister of Public Works, Mines and Telecommunications said. Gnassingbe also proffered an olive branch to the opposition, saying his door remained open to all Togolese, particularly the leaders of political parties. Togo's opposition, kept out of power for the last four decades, called a two-day general strike on Tuesday and Wednesday to protest at what it called a coup d'etat, but the stoppage was only partially effective . Normal business activity slowed down on Tuesday, with some schools shut and few customers visible in Lome's banks, shops and markets, but life in the capital, Lome, was almost back to normal on Wednesday. Gnassingbe said on Wednesday that any Togolese living abroad were welcome to come home. This was an apparent signal to the main opposition leader, Gilchrist Olympio, who has been living in exile in Paris. Olympio's father was Sylvanus Olympio, Togo's first president. He was killed in a 1963 military uprising led by Eyadema, when the future general and head of state was just a master sergeant in the Togolese army. Eyadema came to power in a coup four years later, but over the years Gilchrist Olympio became a symbol of resistance to his authoritarian rule. He was banned from standing against Eyadema in the 2003 presidential elections. Gnassingbe also made overtures to the European Union, which has frozen all aid to Togo since 1993 in protest at human rights abuses, poor governance and the lack of democracy under Eyadema's strong-arm rule. "We will do all we can to re-establish good relations between our country and the international community, especially the European Union and international financial institutions," the new leader said. Togo began talks with Brussels on a resumption of EU aid last year. These had made some progress. Diplomats in Lome said that before Eyadema died, the country was just one good legislative election away from a resumption of aid flows.