US embassy cable - 05ABUJA677

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000677 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, NI, TO 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH ECOWAS ON TOGO 
 
REF: LOME 556 
 
Classified By: Ambassador John Campbell for Reasons 1.4 (B & D). 
 
1.  (C)  Summary.  The Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, Dr. 
Mohammed ibn Chambas, briefed Ambassador at length May 4 on 
ECOWAS's actions in Togo since the death of President 
Eyadema.  ECOWAS supported the Togo elections happening 
within 60 days because that is what the Constitution provided 
for, although the opposition was never happy with holding the 
elections without extensive preparation.  Chambas said the 
opposition (which Obasanjo says no longer trusts ECOWAS -- 
septel) will now have to find a way to accept their 
participation in a government of national unity.  Chambas 
will travel to Togo on May 4 to deliver this message to both 
Faure Gnassingbe and the opposition, and he asked that the 
U.S. also press this message with Faure.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) The Ambassador met the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, 
Dr. Mohammed ibn Chambas, on May 4 at the suggestion of 
Nigeria's National Security Advisor Aliyu Mohammed.  In a 
friendly conversation, Chambas discussed the current 
situation in Togo and the background to ECOWAS's 
participation in the election process.  Also present were Dr. 
Adrienne Diop, the Director of Communications for ECOWAS, and 
an Embassy notetaker. 
 
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The Constitution 
---------------- 
 
3.  (C)  Chambas opened by discussing why ECOWAS moved so 
firmly to have the election held 60 days after the death of 
Eyadema, a question the opposition and many international 
observers have put to him.  He argued that the Togolese 
Constitution called for an election 60 days after a vacancy 
in the Presidency, and that ECOWAS was committed to following 
the requirements of that Constitution.  He placed the 
Togolese requirement in a regional context -- the 
Constitutions of Benin, Mali, and Niger all require elections 
be held in a similar timeframe following the death or 
resignation of the President.  The French Constitution, the 
precedent for the requirements in these francophone nations, 
requires elections with 60 days of a vacancy in the 
Presidency, and this has occurred twice (the resignation of 
De Gaulle and the death of Pompidou).  This, in Chambas' 
mind, created a legitimate basis for the 60 day requirement 
in the Togolese Constitution.  The requirement was placed in 
the Constitution during the 1992 National Conference, in 
which the current opposition played an active role.  Under 
these circumstances, Chambas saw no reason not to respect it 
as the legitimate will of the Togolese people. 
 
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Readiness for an Election 
------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  Another factor Chambas considered in ECOWAS's 
decision to push for elections in 60 days was how ready the 
government was to conduct elections.  National legislative 
elections had been scheduled for March 2005.  Eyadema's death 
in February altered that plan, but some groundwork for 
national elections had already been completed.  Voter 
registration lists were already fairly current and, in 
response to pressure from ECOWAS, were reopened for 
additional registrations just prior to the election.  This 
readiness, along with the legitimacy of the Constitutional 
requirement for elections within 60 days of the death of the 
Chief of State, Chambas said, were the basis for the ECOWAS 
decision to push for and support the April elections. 
 
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The Opposition 
-------------- 
 
5.  (C)  The opposition, Chambas said, was not happy with the 
60 day timetable.  They initially complained that they could 
not participate in elections unless the voter registration 
was reopened.  ECOWAS ensured that the rolls were reopened. 
The opposition then claimed that the registration process was 
not conducted fairly.  In response, ECOWAS arranged for the 
registration period to be extended for two days in areas 
where there had been problems with registration.  The 
opposition said they could not participate in elections if 
they were not represented on the electoral bodies.  Chambas 
claims ECOWAS ensured they were represented.  The opposition 
was always looking for an exit, for a way to not participate 
in the elections or to have them postponed, Chambas said. 
ECOWAS resolved all of their complaints, he said, and that 
left the opposition with just over a week to campaign after 
finally accepting that all of their demands had been met and 
that the elections would take place.  Chambas pointed to the 
Akitani-Bob's harrassment-free campaigning in northern Togo, 
a government stronghold, as evidence that ECOWAS had ensured 
the security of the candidates and created an environment 
conducive to free and fair elections. 
 
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Next Steps 
---------- 
 
6.  (C)  Chambas is traveling to Togo May 4 with Nigeria's 
Foreign Minister to emphasize to Faure Gnassingbe that he 
must hold to the commitment he made in Abuja to form a 
government of national unity and to pursue with the 
opposition a program of constitutional and electoral code 
reform.  Chambas expects Gnassingbe will appoint an 
opposition member as his Prime Minister and will include 
opposition members in his cabinet.  While Chambas 
characterized Faure's tenure as transitional, the expectation 
of ECOWAS is that the next presidential election will be held 
5 years hence.  Chambas noted that there is no provision in 
the Constitution or by precedent for a shorter term of 
office, despite the demand by Gilchrist Olympio that new 
elections be held 6-12 months from now.  ECOWAS will soon 
issue another report detailing the findings of its observers. 
 Chambas hoped the new ECOWAS document will serve as a basis 
for reform of Togo's electoral code.  The challenge for 
ECOWAS, he thought will be to gain acceptance for this plan 
from the opposition. 
 
7.  (C)  Chambas asked that the U.S. remind Faure he pledged 
to Obasanjo to form a government of national unity and that 
the U.S. emphasize this should be seen as a new beginning for 
Togo.  Chambas said Gnassingbe must be made to understand 
that the international community expects him to reach out to 
the opposition and to pursue constitutional, electoral, and 
security sector reform to set Togo on the right path. 
Chambas also hoped that the new government will create a 
security situation that allows Olympio, and all other 
Togolese living outside of their borders, to return to Togo. 
CAMPBELL