Voter turnout in Togo's municipal elections overall low

Africanews (in English)

Voter turnout in Togo's municipal elections overall low  Togo's citizens headed to polling stations on Thursday to elect 1527 municipal representatives. But following recent protests against long-time president Faure Gnassingbé that faced heavy repression, many stayed at home out of fear or political apathy.   READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/07/18/voter-turnout-in-togos-municipal-elections-overall-low  Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.    Africanews is available in English and French.  Website : www.africanews.com  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/  Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews

Transcript

00:00The elections were calm, but tense.

00:04Voters went to the polls in Togo on Thursday to elect their municipal representatives.

00:10But after protests against long-time President Fornia Singbe turned deadly in June,

00:16fear and political apathy lowered turnout in many polling stations.

00:22This time, the participation in the election is not good.

00:26Even in 2019, it was better than this year.

00:28In 2019, there was really enthusiasm for a good change.

00:34Yes, Singbe has ruled over Togo since 2005

00:37and recently reformed the Constitution to stay in power without official term limits.

00:42Still, some voters were hopeful for change in the country.

00:46I want our little brothers and sisters to be able to go to school.

00:49We don't have enough resources.

00:51That's why we've had to learn small trades.

00:54Because of a lack of money, I dropped out of school to work.

00:56But the younger ones, they should get better chances.

01:00I need the means to take care of our children's health.

01:02I just hope for better living conditions, really.

01:05In the capital Lome, a heavy police presence also intimidated many into staying at home.

01:11I'm going to say, I'm going to say, I'm going to go to school.

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