P6_TA(2005)0184

Togo

European Parliament resolution on Togo

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Togo,

- having regard to the statements made by the Commission and the Council Presidency,

- having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas it is gravely concerned by the outbreak of violence which followed the disputed presidential elections held in Togo on 24 April 2005 and which claimed the lives of 100 people and resulted in the flight of more than 18500 refugees into the neighbouring countries of Benin and Ghana,

B. whereas the violence erupted on 26 April 2005 when Faure Gnassingbe, son of Eyadema Gnassingbe, was declared the winner of the elections on the basis of provisional results which gave him 60 % of the vote as against 38 % for Emmanuel Bob-Akitani, the leader of a six-party opposition coalition,

C. whereas the presidential elections of 24 April 2005 were marred by serious irregularities which began with the drawing up of the electoral rolls and the distribution of voting cards and were followed by the brutal repression of members of the Opposition,

D. whereas the Togo Constitutional Court confirmed Faure Gnassingbe as the winner of the presidential elections and dismissed Opposition claims that the elections had been rigged,

E. whereas the coalition of opposition parties disputes the result of the elections and is calling for the vote to be declared invalid, denouncing the serious irregularities which marred the voting procedures,

F. whereas, in several polling stations, the ballot boxes were removed by armed troops as soon as the polling stations closed,

G. whereas, contrary to the agreement signed under the aegis of Ecowas, opposition representatives were not authorised to take part in the work of the Independent Electoral Commission,

H. whereas it is reported that the violence which followed the elections resulted in several dozen deaths, with more than 300 people seriously injured,

I. whereas international reaction to the elections has, to date, been varied, with France and Ecowas deeming them satisfactory, despite some irregularities, and with the United States questioning the legitimacy of the results,

J. whereas the Ecowas Chairman, President Mamadou Tandja of Niger, sent a delegation to Lomé on 1 May 2005 with a view to continuing the ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis in the country and prevent a further destabilisation of a region already seriously affected by the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire;

1. Firmly condemns both the brutal repression perpetrated by the police against people disputing the regularity of the elections and the abusive treatment of foreigners;

2. Condemns the arson attack which completely destroyed the Goethe Institute in Lomé and calls on the Togolese authorities to ensure that all foreign citizens and institutions are properly protected;

3. Calls on the security forces to stop all abusive and intimidatory acts against the civilian population, to put an end to the activities of armed gangs and to carry out their duty to maintain order while strictly respecting human rights;

4. Calls for the establishment of an independent fact-finding commission to be responsible for clarifying the abusive acts carried out and to assign responsibility therefor so that the guilty parties may be prosecuted and made to answer for their actions, while respecting their right to a fair trial;

5. Takes the view that the circumstances in which the elections were held on 24 April 2005 did not comply with the principles of transparency, pluralism and the freedom of the people to determine their own future, principles which were guaranteed by the relevant regional and international instruments, and that the legitimacy of the authorities established on the basis of such elections cannot be acknowledged;

6. Emphasises that these elections do not comply with the conditions laid down as a precondition for the resumption of cooperation between Togo and the European Union;

7. Calls on the Togolese authorities to convene a national conference, to be attended by the opposition parties and representatives of civil society, with a view to finding a solution to the crisis and to envisage new presidential and legislative elections worthy of the name: i.e. democratic, free, fair and transparent, under international supervision and after a consensual review of the electoral code and the electoral rolls;

8. Calls on the Commission, the Council and all regional and international institutions to work for a return to security and dialogue so that the leaders of all political movements and civilian and military institutions may set out along the road towards national reconciliation and a genuine transitional process, in compliance with the democratic decision of all Togolese;

9. Calls on the Member States to abstain from making unilateral declarations on the regularity of the elections and, instead, to seek a common position within the EU;

10. Urges the Togolese authorities to comply with the 22 undertakings given in connection with the consultations under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement as regards the restoration of democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

11. Takes the view that the Togolese authorities must assume total responsibility for all acts of violence perpetrated against the physical integrity of civilians and, in particular, against representatives of the Opposition political parties, human rights activists and journalists;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Secretaries-General of the United Nations, the African Union and Ecowas, to the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and to the President, the Government and the National Assembly of Togo.

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