Opposition party withdraws from coalition //corrected repeat//

One of Togo's main opposition parties, the Union des Forces du Changement (UFC-Union of the Forces for Change), has announced its withdrawal for a coalition which groups all of the country's opposition parties. The UFC said on Wednesday that it was withdrawing from the Coalition des Forces Democratiques (CFD) because the umbrella group had agreed to sit on the National Independent Electoral Commission, despite the fact that its mandate has been watered down by the government, news sources reported. In a press release, the party said it could not continue to participate in an organisation whose strategies and actions were neither coherent nor agreable to the people of Togo and the international community. The electoral commission, which has been at the centre of a prolonged political crisis, has faced many obstacles. These include a lack of funds and disagreement between opposition and ruling-party commissioners over the organisation of legislative elections. The polls were eventually held at the end of 2002, after several postponements. However, they were boycotted by some opposition parties. The commission is supposed to supervise presidential elections this year, which could see the participation of incumbent President Gnassingbe Eyadema who had promised not to run in 2003. A constitutional amendment in December 2002 allows Eyadema, in power since 1967, to seek yet another term. The European Union, which has ceased all aid to the West African country, on Wednesday issued a statement noting the December constitutional changes and urging the Togolese authorities to ensure that the polls are free, fair and transparent.