Olympio appeals to court against election ban

Gilchrist Olympio, a leading opposition figure in Togo, has appealed to the Constitutional Court against his exclusion from presidential elections due on 1 June. His party, the Union of Forces for Change (UFC), filed the appeal on Monday, according to reports by Togolese and international news organsiations. Olympio, a long-standing opponent of President Gnassingbe Eyadema, was barred from standing in the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday. Although it approved all the other seven presidential candidates, the commission said Olympio had failed to file a certificate of residency in the West African country and proof that his tax payments were up to date. Olympio is the son of Togo's first president Sylvanus Olympio, who was killed in a 1963 coup. He has lived in exile in neighbouring Ghana since the early 1980s. Olympio moved abroad after falling out with Eyadema, who has ruled Togo for 36 years and is seeking a fresh five-year term in next month's ballot. Olympio was allowed to run in the previous presidential election in 1998 when according to official results he came second with 34% of the vote.