Voters gear up for Togo election

Voters in Togo will head to the polls on Saturday to choose their next president.

Incumbent Faure Gnassingbé will face six rivals, including long-time opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre.

Polling stations across the coastal West African nation will be open from 07:00 to 16:00GMT on Saturday.

More than 3.5 million people registered to vote.

Members of the diaspora will be allowed to cast their ballots for the first time, although only 300 were able to register.

Mr Gnassingbé of the ruling Union for the Republic is running for a fourth term.

Constitutional changes were approved last year allowing him to seek re-election - an issue which sparked huge protests in 2017-18.

His family has ruled the country for over half a century.

Former journalist and human right campaigner Jean-Pierre Fabre of the National Alliance for Change, is running for a third time, after coming second in 2010 and 2015.

Five other candidates are competing, including former Prime Minister Gabriel Messan Agbéyomé Kodjo, who represents a coalition of opposition and civil society groups.

Provisional results are expected six days after polls close.