Legislative and regional elections are scheduled for April 29th, 2024. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced on April 15 the dispatch of an exploratory mission. However, on Tuesday, April 16, the sub-regional organization now describes it as an information-gathering mission in light of the country’s tense political climate following the adoption of a new constitution at the end of March.
The electoral campaign in Togo has been in full swing since April 13th, 2024, amidst heightened political tensions following the adoption of a new constitution by parliamentarians at the end of March.
With elections scheduled for April 29, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) aimed to ease tensions by announcing the dispatch of an exploratory mission on Monday. However, on Tuesday, April 16, the sub-regional organization appears to backtrack, now referring to the mission as solely informational.
While not explicitly a reversal, the change in tone is apparent. On Monday evening, ECOWAS issued an initial statement announcing the dispatch of an exploratory mission to “engage with key stakeholders on recent developments in the country.” The ECOWAS Commission deemed it “necessary” to send such a mission in what it termed a “crucial” context.
The sub-regional organization noted that the elections, “initially scheduled for April 13,” had been postponed “due to the seriousness of the controversial constitutional reforms the government intended to introduce.” This announcement was made via the social media platform X.
However, this morning, the organization retracted its tweet. Shortly afterward, there was a change in stance: no longer is there mention of an exploratory mission, but rather a simple fact-finding mission on the ground. In this new statement, ECOWAS half-heartedly acknowledges its change in position: “The mission will undertake a pre-electoral assessment in line with community texts and will not engage in any other process as indicated in a previous statement, which has been withdrawn.”
This mission, scheduled to last until April 20, will engage with key stakeholders in the electoral process. It is led by Maman Sambo Sidikou, a former representative of the African Union in the Sahel region from Niger.