Togo constitutional court awards final presidential election victory to son of former dictator

Togo court declares victory for dictator’s son

LOME, Togo — Togo’s constitutional court has declared victory for the son of the former dictator and dismissed fraud complaints in a disputed presidential election held earlier this month.

The court’s Thursday ruling gave Faure Gnassingbe a nearly 61 percent victory in the March 4 vote. The final results closely resemble provisional results issued days after the election.

Opposition candidate Jean-Pierre Fabre said his party will hold a demonstration to protest the ruling. The court said Fabre won less than 34 percent of votes.

The court said complaints of vote-rigging were found to be unsubstantiated.

Gnassingbe seized power in 2005 after the death of his father, former dictator Eyadema Gnassingbe, who seized power in a 1967 coup.