The Togolese Presidential Election in 2005

Until the presidential election in 2005, Togo was known as a country of peace. The Togolese were living in good atmosphere while the activities in the country were running well, and people were always busy working to earn their living. The presidential election in 2005 was a hope for the Togolese that their country would become a democratic nation. However, the result of the election was in the favor of the ruling party and the majority of the population protested against the new president. The new president ordered the army to take control of the situation. The repercussions of the presidential election in Togo in 2005 affected me because people were killed, homes were destroyed, and some people went into exile.

First, the killing of people by the army had a big affect on me. The presidential election turned into violence in 2005 and many people died. The army was in control of the whole country and was killing protestors in every place. The power in the country was cut off, so people wouldn’t recognize the soldiers who were attacking them. They used guns to kill and threatened some people to death. Some of the opposition party leaders were killed and their families were executed. For example, I protested against the fraud the ruling party had done to say that it won the election. I lived in fear in that moment because I didn’t know from where a bullet might come from to hit me. The killing was so terrible in many places in the country that many children became orphans because their parents had been killed.

Secondly, the destruction of homes by the army had a big effect on me. The army went to opposition homes to arrest them. Among the arrested, some were executed while others were sent to jail. The army in some homes raped girls and women. They searched people’s homes and stole money, cell phones, and then destroyed the homes. The army burned houses and stuffs in those houses were completely turned into ash. Since my family was known as opposition to the ruling party, it affected us profoundly. I lived in fear that they might come to search our home and even destroy it, and for that reason, we deserted our home. My parents and I moved to live in another village far from home and we took our the valuables with us. The presidential election was a terrible moment that affected me when the army destroyed homes.

Finally, the exile of some of the opposition influenced me. When the army started shooting, some people who were connected to the opposition fled into exile. I moved to a different village with my parents where we lived in lack of food because we couldn’t take all our food with us. Some people walked hundreds of miles in the night to reach Benin and Ghana. The army followed some of the people and arrested them on their way to exile. They killed some of the arrested while they send the rest to jail. I had a difficult time living in another place and always pictured how tough it was for the exiled people who faced serious problems such as starvation, sickness and poor living conditions.

The presidential election in 2005 was a sad memory for me. The killing of people, the destruction of homes, the displacement of my family, and the exile of many people affected me so much. We lived with a tyrannical government for forty years and hoped the presidential election in 2005 would lead our country into democracy, but that was not the result. My hope is that the next presidential election will be a fair election that will bring positive change in Togo. Unless there is a fair election with a new president, we will continue to live in fears and people will continue to live in exile.