Togo opposition leader rejects Gnassingbe victory
Lome, 30 Apr - (ANA) - Togo's defeated opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre says he considers himself the new president, rejecting official election results. Earlier, Togo's official election body declared President Faure Gnassingbe the winner, with a provisional 59% of the vote. Mr Fabre, who gained 35%, told AFP news agency the results were a "crime against national sovereignty". Observers from the African Union said the election was free and fair.
Mr Fabre called on the Togolese to "take their destiny into their own hands". His party, the opposition Combat for Political Change (Cap 2015), said the results bore "no resemblance to those compiled from reports collected in polling stations by its representatives". Asked by an AFP reporter if he considered himself the new president-elect, he replied: "Of course." West African regional leaders led by Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama have been attempting to mediate the dispute, having arrived in the capital Lome on Tuesday. President Faure Gnassingbe's family has ruled Togo for 48 years. Mr Gnassingbe has ruled since the 2005 death of his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema. (ANA)
FA/ANA/30 April 2015---------