Review of 2020 African polls [2] – Togo, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Ghana etc.

Elections generally have become a key fixture on the African news calendar and  the year 2020 was no different.

West Africa has undertaken a number of key presidential votes that seen  incumbents being retained – some under very tense circumstances. Two other  polls are awaited in the region – Ghana and Niger; December 7 and 27  respectively.

As part of our 2020 review, we look back at some of the major elections that took  place in the region. The review metrics shall be the significance of the vote, the  main candidates, major issues, the final outcome and the poll aftermath.

The piece is the concluding part of our election review and focuses on polls in  Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo.

Togo re-elects Faure

Togo held Africa’s first presidential vote in February, just in time before the  disruption of COVID-19 which forced other countries to postpone or consider  postponing their elections.

The February 22 poll was the first since constitutional reforms capped the presidential term  limits. The new legislation means that incumbent Faure Gnassingbe could run for two more  terms (2020 – 2030).

Two days after the vote, he was declared winner of the vote at a time opposition said it was  contesting the process and outcome. The elections body announced that the president had won  72 percent of the vote in the first round.

The body added that main contender and former Prime Minister, Agbeyome Kodjo, came in  second with just 18 percent of votes. The president was subsequently sworn into office at a  social distanced event in the capital Lome.

Guinea’s busy, bustling election year

Guinea conducted three different votes this year. A referendum on extending  presidential term limits, a partial legislative poll and a presidential poll.  The referendum was passed amid tension and widespread opposition protest. That set the tone  for the equally bloody presidential poll as opposition protesters clashed with security forces.

At the end of the vote, President Alpha Conde was declared winner with 59.49% of the vote,  defeating his main rival Cellou Diallo. Diallo received 33.50% of the vote, the electoral  commission said. Voter turnout was almost 80%.

Political tensions in the West African nation turned violent after Diallo claimed victory ahead  of the official results. Celebrations by his supporters were suppressed when security forces  fired tear gas to disperse them.

Ouattara pushes ahead with third term 

Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara was on his way out of the presidency until  his Prime Minister and candidate of the ruling party Amadou Gon Coulibaly died. 

Then the president reversed his quit promise.  The consequence of which was an opposition mobilization against his  candidature. Clashes with security forces did little to deter Ouattara who had  been cleared with three others to run in the October 31 poll.

Days to the vote, main opposition candidates ex-president Henri Konan Bedie  and ex-prime minister Pascal Affi N’guessan announced a boycott of the vote.  Ouattara pressed ahead despite the clashes and boycott.

Expectedly, he emerged winner of the vote with over 94 percent of votes cast. Turnout was  put at 53.9%. The voter population is at six million plus. "Considering that Mr. Alassane Ouattara received 3,031,483 votes, thus achieving a score of  94.27%, above the absolute majority required, it is therefore appropriate to proclaim him  elected, in the first round, President of the Republic of Ivory Coast, following the ballot of  Saturday, October 31, 2020." Mamadou Kone, president of the Constitutional Court affirmed.

Ghana, Niger, CAR to hold polls

Three other polls are slated for this month. Ghana will conduct general elections  on December 7 whiles Niger holds presidential polls on the 27 th . Central African  Republic will also hold presidential and legislative polls on the same day as Niger.

In Ghana, incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo is seeking a final four-year term. Niger’s  Mahamadou Issoufou is leaving office after two terms. The ruling party has  nominated former Defence Minister Mohammed Bazoum as its candidate. In  CAR, president Faustin Archange Touadera is also seeking re-election.