Ghana TUC advises Togolese authorities

The Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) on Thursday appealed to the Togolese Authorities to reverse their decision and allow the Constitution of their country to guide them.

"The Ghana TUC believes that this undemocratic action taken by the Military could be a recipe for disaster since it goes against the country's own Constitution," the TUC said in a statement issued in Accra expressing its condolence to the family, government, workers and people of Togo on the death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema.

The statement signed by Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, Secretary-General, said while sharing their grief, the TUC was expressing its concern about the developments that had culminated in the swearing into office Faure Gnassingbe, son of the late President, as the new President of Togo by the Togolese Military High Command led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier-General Zakari Nandja.

"In our view the Military have no business swearing in Heads of State, especially during the current democratic dispensation in Togo.

"Unjustifiable as the action is, the Togolese Armed Forces have legalised the decision insisting that the Speaker of Parliament, who should be acting in the place of the President Eyadema, was absent from the country.

"This action of the Military clearly violates the Constitution of the Republic of Togo and, therefore, cannot be validated on any grounds."

The statement commended the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Africa Union (AU) for their stand and called on all African governments, including the government of Ghana, to condemn this latest development in Togo.

It urged all workers and civil society organisations in Togo to use all legitimate means to ensure that the rule of law reigned and that the rights of the people of Togo were upheld.

The statement called on the leaders of ECOWAS, AU and the international community to bring pressure to bear on the Togolese Government to uphold the tenets of democracy in order that the people of Togo could progress in peace.