6,000 demonstrators protest Togo election results that handed victory to son of ex-dictator

6,000 demonstrators protest Togo election results

LOME, Togo — More than 6,000 opposition demonstrators have taken to the streets in the West African nation of Togo to protest presidential election results.

Togo’s constitutional court has declared victory for the son of the country’s former dictator and has dismissed fraud complaints following the disputed March election.

Supporters of opposition candidate Jean-Pierre Fabre maintain he was the rightful winner. Fabre told The Associated Press on Saturday that he is ready to hold discussions to resolve the political standoff.

The constitutional court’s ruling gave Faure Gnassingbe a nearly 61 percent victory. Gnassingbe seized power in 2005 after the death of his father. The same family has ruled Togo for the past 43 years.