The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken significant steps to ensure the transparency and fairness of the legislative and regional elections in Togo, set to take place on Monday. Ahead of the crucial vote, ECOWAS has dispatched a team of 40 observers to monitor the electoral process closely.
This observer mission, led by former Gambian Vice-President Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, comprises a diverse group of individuals, including ambassadors, representatives from ECOWAS institutions, civil society members, media professionals, and election specialists from across West Africa.
The deployment of these observers underscores ECOWAS’s commitment to supporting its member states in conducting free, fair, and credible elections, as outlined in Article 12 of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
The decision to send the observer mission follows the recommendations of a pre-election fact-finding mission conducted from April 15 to 20, 2024, aimed at assessing the electoral preparations in Togo.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Dr. Omar Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, emphasized the importance of the observer mission in ensuring the integrity of the electoral process. He highlighted that the deployment aligns with ECOWAS’s mandate to provide assistance to member states in conducting their elections.
During their mission, the observers will engage with key stakeholders involved in the electoral process and closely monitor the voting procedures to ensure transparency and fairness.
This initiative builds upon ECOWAS’s previous efforts to support democratic processes in the region. In March 2024, a 120-member ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, led by Prof Ibrahim Gambari, monitored Senegal’s presidential election. Similarly, in June 2023, ECOWAS deployed 95 election observers to oversee presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone.
By sending observers to Togo, ECOWAS reaffirms its commitment to upholding democratic principles and promoting stability and good governance in West Africa.
