Togo votes in local elections with borders temporarily closed

Togolese cast their ballots on Thursday in the first municipal elections since the country adopted a new constitution that switched the nation from a presidential to a parliamentary system in May.

More than 4.5 million registered voters are expected to take part in the polls to elect 1,527 municipal councilors in the 117 municipalities of the West African country, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The electoral campaign ended on Monday across the country.

There are 19 political parties, nine party groupings and about 50 independent candidates in the race.

Guarantee peace

Polling stations opened from 7 am local time (07:00GMT) and will close at 4 pm.

Voting is taking place at 12,541 polling stations across the country.

Col. Awate Hodabalo, the minister of territorial administration and decentralization, assured the public on the eve of the polls that all measures were taken to guarantee peaceful, transparent and credible elections.

Among the measures, authorities announced the country’s land borders will temporarily be closed during the polls to guarantee the smooth running of the election in a climate of peace and security.

A team of observers, including those from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union, is expected to monitor the election, according to the electoral body.

The ruling party, Union for the Republic (UNIR), won the last municipal elections in 2019, with 60% of the vote.