Presidential election in Togo: interview with Georges-William Assiongbon Kouessan

Text by: Peter Dogbe Follow

Georges-William Assiongbon Kouessan is a pharmacist. President of the People's Health party, he is trying the presidential battle for the first time. He thinks it takes a three-year transition to put Togo back on the democratic path.

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RFI: Georges-William Assiongbon Kouessan, you are participating, for the first time, in the presidential election in Togo. What are your strengths?

Georges-William Assiongbon Kouessan : Our main asset is the program we have. You know that we made a proposal, which was to make a transition. First, choose a personality from civil society to make him a unique candidate and then begin a three-year transition.

We found that there was no support for this vision. We have made it our program for the presidential election of 2020. So today, we are the only candidate to speak of a three-year transition. This is what makes us special today.

Why a transition? Because we believe that we cannot get out of fifty-three years of political monolithism and immediately enter into normal political life. For us, it is a decoy.

Do you believe that the ballot in which you take part is credible?

We generally know the conditions under which elections are held in our country. But if we participate, it is because we are committed to being able to win these elections. Despite all the difficult contours of these elections, we can win them and lead this country in the days to come.

Do you really believe that alternation is possible?

We would never participate in an election, if we believed - mordicus -, that the alternation will not be there. It is true that we said, at one point, that to deal effectively with this regime, we needed a single opposition candidate. But once we have not been able to obtain it, there is no question today of saying that, since this has not been obtained, there is nothing we can do. If we participate, it is because we are committed to being able to win these elections. So, we think that on the evening of February 22, 2020, the work-study program will take place in our country.

On the evening of February 22, if you are elected, what should be the main point to which you will focus to restart the country?

When we are elected, we will have to redo the major political reforms, the constitutional and institutional reforms… We will have to review the Constitutional Court. Similarly, it will be necessary to constitutionalize the Independent National Electoral Commission ...

There is therefore a need to review these institutions. At the same time - you know we have a ragged social fabric - we have to make it possible to start a process, a real process, towards real national reconciliation.

We must therefore find the means, to give these people the best living conditions. These are what we call the great political emergencies, without losing sight of the fact that we must nevertheless lay the foundations for the continuity of the State.

We are the only candidate to speak of a three-year transition. This is what makes us special today.

Georges-William Assiongbon Kouessan, president of the People's Health party

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