The Réseau Yes-Benin is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion of civil society. Its most recent project, in conjunction with Federation des Organisation Non-Gouvernementale du Togo (FONGTO), involves supporting active citizen participation in the Togolese legislative elections. Free elections are a central component of the IIJD Development Program and will be essential to the democratization of Togo.

The Western African country of Togo is among the least developed countries in the world. Like its neighbors, Ghana and Benin, Togo has a relatively low life expectancy (57 years), adult literacy rate (53.2 percent), and per capita GDP (US$1,546 PPP) [1]. However, Togo’s development is constrained further than that of Ghana or Benin because of its lack of effective civil society. While the latter two countries elect leaders democratically and encourage active citizen participation in governmental affairs, Togolese politics since 1967 have been dominated by a single party, the Rally of the Togolese People (RPT).

President Gnassingbe Eyadema, the RPT’s leader, used violence and intimidation to deter opposition and stifle civil society. Consequently, by the time of his death in 2005, he had become the longest-ruling dictator in Africa. With the support of the Togolese military, Eyadema’s son, Faure, seized power only days after his father’s death and brutally suppressed the opposition’s demonstrations. Ultimately, after international condemnation began to threaten the Togolese economy, Eyadema agreed to hold democratic elections for presidency and received sixty percent of the votes. Election fraud was widespread, and the opposition rioted in protest. Talks in August 2006 ended that particular round of violence, and Eyadema named several opposition leaders to high-level government positions. However, the legislative elections of September 2007 will be the first attempt at democratic elections since the violence in 2005 [2].

The upcoming elections will be a key opportunity to encourage citizen participation in government affairs and, since institutions will only change when citizens demand it, to set the precedent for fair and democratic elections in Togo. To that end, the IIJD’s partner organization, the Réseau Yes-Benin, is working through its national NGO network, Collectif des Fédérations et Réseaux d’ONG du Bénin (CFRONG), to assist the equivalent network of Togolese NGOs, FONGTO, in monitoring the September elections. This ambitious project aims to promote public debates on candidates’ platforms; to guarantee that candidates are accountable to the objectives of legitimacy and development, which will set the precedent for future elections; to work for active citizenship; to support advances in communication and advocacy for the peace process, social stability, and integrated development; and to contribute to the prevention and resolution of conflicts in the pre-electoral, electoral, and post-electoral periods. Overall, the election project seeks to build civil society in order to accord a stronger voice to citizens in the national elections. If the elections are truly democratic, then just, representative leaders will be elected and will address the issues that are most important to citizens. Only by carrying the concerns of citizens to the institutions that make policy will effective, sustainable development be within reach [3].

In order to reach its goals, the Réseau Yes-Benin and FONGTO will work with key actors in the pre-election period, training candidates, campaign staff, journalists, and national decision-makers on the framework of a successful election process. In September, the NGOs will monitor the elections to ensure that there is no repeat of the large-scale 2005 fraud. Following the elections, Réseau Yes-Benin and FONGTO will hold a workshop assessment on the impact of civil society on the legislative elections, in order to demonstrate that active citizen participation is essential to the democratic process.

IIJD strongly believes that free elections are integral to democratic governance and inclusive, sustainable development. Because they enable citizens to bring their concerns to the highest levels of government, free elections – along with drafting legislation and building civil society – are one of IIJD’s three components of development. For elections to be free, fair, and legitimate, however, certain factors must be in place. An independent national electoral commission must carry out and monitor the elections; a fair, just, and transparent electoral law must be recognized by all candidates, political parties, and voters; free and independent media must report on the election; voters must be allowed to make their decision without intimidation or persuasion; and all candidates must have the right to campaign freely in all regions of the country. The absence of many of these factors undermined the legitimacy of the 2005 presidential elections. However, the Réseau Yes-Benin and its partners are endeavoring to promote the democratization of Togo by building civil society and making national leaders accountable to their constituents.