Lome, 27 November, 2019 / 2:09 am (ACI Africa).
As the West African country of Togo looks gears up for Presidential Election scheduled for early next year, the country’s Catholic Bishops have invited the government to initiate reforms in the electoral process to guarantee a free, fair and transparent poll even as the exact date of the elections is yet to be announced.
“We once again urge the government to carry out, in the best interests of the Nation, the reforms necessary to consolidate the electoral framework before the presidential elections of 2020,” reads in part the pastoral letter by the Episcopal Conference of Togo (C.E.T) dated November 21.
In the letter, the Bishops invite the Togolese government to “review, in a more concerted manner, the composition of the Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) and the Constitutional Council to put them above any suspicion of dependence, to revise the Electoral Code, (and) to establish a reliable and credible voter register,” among other requirements.
The Prelates “urge all the actors in the political life of our country and the international community that accompanies us to show sincerity, loyalty and disinterest in order to finally bring our country, the "gold of humanity", into the concert of modern, strong and democratically civilized nations.”
Addressing themselves to Togolese politicians, the Bishops urge those actively involved in politics in their country to “positively surprise the world that is watching us, by taking their responsibility to finally offer their fellow citizens a peaceful, free, transparent and fair election.”
