Union of Forces for Change

History

The UFC was founded by Olympio as a federation of parties on 1 February 1992. Olympio was barred from standing in the August 1993 presidential election on a technicality. the UFC alleged fraud, however. The UFC boycotted the March 1999 parliamentary election, and it also participated in an opposition boycott of the next parliamentary election, held on 27 October 2002.

Emmanuel Bob-Akitani, the First Vice-president of the UFC, was the main opposition candidate in the June 2003 presidential election and the April 2005 presidential election, acting as a surrogate candidate for Olympio, who was banned from running because he had lived in exile for several years. He officially received 38.1% of the vote on the latter occasion, losing to Faure Gnassingbé, son of the deceased Eyadéma, amidst opposition claims of a rigged vote.

The UFC decided not to join the national unity government under Prime Minister Yawovi Agboyibo in September 2006, although many in the party were reportedly unhappy with Olympio's decision in this regard. The party's Second Vice-president, Amah Gnassingbé, accepted a post in the government as Minister of State and was suspended from the UFC as a result.

The party participated in the October 2007 parliamentary election, the first time it participated in a parliamentary election since multiparty elections began to be held in the early 1990s. The party won 27 out of 81 seats, behind the ruling Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), which won a majority. The UFC alleged irregularities in vote counting and, following the confirmation of the results by the Constitutional Court, UFC Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Fabré, described the results as "neither credible nor acceptable" and said that they did not represent the people's will.

At the UFC's Second Ordinary Congress, held in Nyékonakpoé, Lomé on 18–19 July 2008, Olympio was re-elected as National President of the UFC; he was also unanimously chosen as the party's candidate for the 2010 presidential election. Also at this congress, Jean-Pierre Fabré was re-elected as Secretary-General; Patrick Lawson was elected as First Vice-president, while Bob-Akitani was named Honorary President.

Electoral history

Presidential elections

National Assembly elections

References

References

1. [http://www.ufctogo.com/-Le-President-.html Profile of Olympio at UFC website] {{Webarchive. link. (2 February 2020 {{in lang). fr
2. [http://www.ufctogo.com/-Historique-.html "Historique du mouvement patriotique togolais"] {{Webarchive. link. (2 February 2020 , UFC website {{in lang). fr
3. (5 July 2001). "Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 40 of the Covenant - Addendum: Togo".
4. ''Political Parties of the World'' (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 592
5. [http://www.togo-confidentiel.com/texte/Politique/Presse_CFD.htm "Communiqué de presse de la Coalition des Forces Démocratiques à la suite de la mascarade électorale du 27 octobre 2002"], togo-confidentiel.com, October 28, 2002 {{in lang. fr
6. link. (5 December 2008 , ''Forum de la Semaine'', number 191 (iciLome.com), September 21, 2006 {{in lang). fr
7. (10 January 2007). "Le Gouvernement togolais".
8. (15 February 2007). "Amah Gnassingbé n'est pas exclu de l'UFC selon G. Olympio". Xinhua via Jeuneafrique.com.
9. (30 September 2007). "Les candidats s'y collent".
10. (30 October 2007). "Le RPT remporte les premières élections".
11. Selah Hennessy, [https://archive.today/20071022023214/http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-10-17-voa40.cfm "Togo Opposition Disputes Vote Count"], VOA News, October 17, 2007.
12. (31 October 2007). "Le dernier contestataire".
13. (July 2016)
14. [http://www.ufctogo.com/2eme-Congres-ordinaire-de-l-union-1925.html "2ème Congrès de l’Union des Forces de Changement"] {{Webarchive. link. (8 August 2008 , UFC website, 20 July 2008 {{in lang). fr.
15. (20 July 2008). "L'UFC a désigné son candidat pour la présidentielle".