Communiqué

From manipulation of the voting lists to the theft and sacking of ballot boxes, as well as intimidation and assassinations, the presidential elections of April 24, under control of the Togolese army, have been nothing more, as a part of the Togolese opposition has denounced, than a crude manipulation meant to provide pseudo-democratic support to Faure Gnassingbé, son of the former dictator.

International authorities have taken part in this masquerade giving credit to the thesis that these practices have not affected the good holding and credibility of these elections. This is the case, in particular, with the CEDEAO (Economic Community of the West African States), a neocolonial institution under French influence, which considers that "this global scrutiny has responded to the criteria and principles universally acknowledged with regard to elections." This is also the case with the African Union and European Union which are hiding behind the observations of the CEDEAO. Michel Barnier dared to speak, for his part, of a "globally satisfactory progress for this scrutiny."

The Togolese people have not accepted this humiliation. Thousands of young Togolese have come out into the street. They have demonstrated every day, confronting the police and the army that shoots and kills, causing several dozen deaths and more than one hundred injured.

Their anger is strong against the French leaders, representing the dominant imperialist power, who have once again given their support to maintaining the Eyadema clan in power. The maneuvers to impose a so-called government of national union failed. Faced with the extent of the protest demonstrations and the massacres perpetrated by the military, police and militia of the regime, French authorities were constrained to "keep their distance." They claimed they did not to want to "interfere" in the affairs of Togo. What hypocrisy! At the same time, they multiply their warnings. They made it clear that the French military stationed in the country will not allow anyone to take it out on the French nationals living in Togo (between 2,000 and 3,000). After the Ivory Coast, it is in Togo that the French troops risk being massively deployed, to preserve the neo-colonial interests of French imperialism.

The Togolese people want to turn the page on more than 40 years of a coup d’etat controlled by France from afar.

We support their courage and determination and, with them, we denounce these fraudulent elections and demand that they be declared void.

We denounce the complicity of the French authorities, who are equally responsible for the massacres perpetrated by the Eyadema clan.

No democratic solution can be found keeping this clan in power.

In Togo, as elsewhere, French Africa has lasted too long!

Paris, April 29, 2005
Communist Party of the Workers of France
E-mail: enavant@club-internet.fr
Web site: www.pcof.net

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