Parliamentary polls set for 27 October

The Togolese government has fixed 27 October as the date for parliamentary elections, following a recommendation by the country's electoral college of seven judges. A presidential decree said the polls, which have been delayed on several occasions, would be held in accordance with a decision taken during a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The decree from President Gnassingbe Eyadema stipulated that state security forces would vote three days before the rest of the population so that they could maintain order and security on election day. It also set the participation fee for eligible candidates at 500,000 FCFA (francs Communaute Financiere Africaine), equivalent to about US $700. Seventeen political parties have announced their intent to participate, along with 12 independent candidates. However, a coalition grouping which represented the opposition parties within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), now defunct, has said it will not participate unless the college of judges is replaced by a new electoral commission. The holding of legislative elections has caused political tension in Togo since the presidential elections of 1998. The opposition boycotted legislative elections scheduled for March 1999, claiming that the 1998 presidential vote had not been fair. To avert a growing crisis, the government and opposition groups signed the Lome Framework Agreement, under pressure from foreign countries, in July 1999. Among other things, the Lome agreement called for fresh polls, which are overdue since October 2001. These have not been held since there has been no agreement on the manner in which they should be organised.