Gnassingbe eyadema biography of mahatma

He helped establish Nicolas Grunitzky as the new President of Togo. Eyadema installed himself as president on April 14, , as well as Minister of National Defense, an office that he retained for 38 years. He attempted to legitimize his rule with a multiparty presidential election in August , which was boycotted by the opposition; facing only two minor challengers, he won The European Union suspended aid in in protest of alleged voting irregularities and human rights violations.

In late December , the Constitution was changed to remove term limits on the office of president. He was sworn in for another term on June Another constitutional change was to reduce the minimum age of the President to 35 years, rather than He was the chairman of the Organisation of African Unity from to , and he attempted, unsuccessfully, to mediate between the government and rebels of Ivory Coast in the First Ivorian Civil War, that began in that country in The European Union sent a mission on June 1, to evaluate the state of democracy in Togo and to start a procedure of democratization of Togo.

The expedition intended to open a dialogue between the state and the opposition. He organized and won several elections between and that are considered free, but in many ways open to criticism. Born in the city of Pya, he served in the French army between and , in Algeria and Indochina. When Togo gained its independence in , veterans of the French army were denied passage into the Togolese army by the first president, Sylvanus Olympio.

He assumed the position of head of the army of a civilian government that he himself appointed. After another round of politically-motivated arrests in —and more allegations of torture of political prisoners—widespread strikes erupted in the capital city. Likewise, he once again resisted efforts to investigate human rights violations, issuing widespread presidential pardons to those arrested in the demonstrations.

Protests continued in Togo, gaining momentum as other African nations ousted long-standing dictators in favor of democratic governments. Four days after convening on July 8, the conference declared its sovereignty. The victory was short-lived, however. The political crisis continued through and into , with strikers demanding immediate elections and neutral armed forces.

Hundreds of thousands of Togolese citizens fled to Ghana and Benin, and the international community was stunned by an assassination attempt on opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio.

Gnassingbe eyadema biography of mahatma

The presidential election, held late in the summer of , was beset by numerous controversies. Observers from the international community—including former U. President Jimmy Carter—refused to endorse the results, citing "hasty planning, the lack of a credible opposition, and question marks over voter lists and cards," to quote Da Costa.

Olympio, who had documentation of a thorough examination by French doctors, complained that he could not safely enter Togo to undergo the examination. At least one citizen interviewed by Da Costa echoed Koffigoh's optimism. But now Lome is in a mess. In late December , the Constitution was changed to remove term limits on the office of president.

He was sworn in for another term on 20 June. He was the chairman of the Organisation of African Unity from to , and he attempted, unsuccessfully, to mediate between the government and rebels of Ivory Coast in the First Ivorian Civil War , that began in that country in The European Union sent a mission on 1 June , to evaluate the state of democracy in Togo and to start a procedure of democratization of Togo.

The expedition intended to open a dialogue between the state and the opposition. But because of the criteria imposed by the government, politicians such as Gilchrist Olympio , Yawovi Agboyibo , and Professor Leopold Gnininvi boycotted the meeting. The European Union team cancelled the meeting since discussions with the government were almost impossible.

The opposition party UFC wanted the release of 11 men held by the government. Finally, the European Union experts met each political figure individually and in private. The respect of human rights and of the press in Togo were to be investigated by the European Union experts. Officials have stated that the cause of death was a heart attack.

At the time of his death he was the longest-serving head of state in Africa. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. President of Togo from to Early life and military career [ edit ]. Politics [ edit ].

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