The electoral process leading to the appointment of new country delegates of the High Council of Togolese Abroad (HCTE) has been launched since July 18, 2022 by Minister Robert Dussey, Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad. Yesterday, a press conference was held at the office of this department, an opportunity to solicit the contribution of the media in mobilizing Togolese from abroad to take ownership of the process in progress, either by standing as candidates to be delegates, or voters, to be able to participate in the choice of those who will be responsible for representing the diaspora.
The Ministry in charge of Foreign Affairs yesterday invited media professionals to its office in Lomé to a press meeting on the electoral process with a view to appointing the new country delegates of the High Council of Togolese Abroad (HCTE) . According to the speakers, MM. Charles Azilan, Director of Togolese Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Safiou Radji, Coordinator of the Diaspora Counter, this process takes place in several phases, the most essential of which are the call for applications and voter registration. Then come the candidate evaluation periods, the opening of the campaign, the actual vote which is done online. This requires voters to open their voter accounts in advance, to be sure of being able to vote when the time comes. The process will conclude with the publication of the results of the elected candidates and their installation, with a view to exercising their mandate as country delegates. Thus, can be a candidate, any Togolese from outside able to prove his Togolese origin and who meets the evaluation criteria provided by the authority. Because it is a question of ensuring the capacity of the candidates to carry the mandate of country delegates, to mobilize the diaspora on the projects concerning them, but also of their morality insofar as it is a question of representing the country and that it is necessary to pay attention to the profile of the people to whom Togo will delegate this institutional mandate.
The two speakers noted that compared to 2019, the process has seen some innovations, in particular the number of country delegates increased from 77 to 48, due to the criteria established by the ministry, to be able to define the new constituencies where certain countries were attached to others, without excluding anyone. The two speakers insisted that the entire process is taking place online and that the two ongoing phases continue, for the candidacy stage, until August 17 and for the voter registration stage, until August 17. to September 15.
« You cannot leave your fate in the hands of people you have not appointed. So, ideally, if you want your voices to be heard, you should be able to influence the choice of people who will represent you. This is why we are appealing to all Togolese outside, without exception, to become candidates or voters on the platform. And to be a candidate, you must first register as an elector, be 21 years of age or older and reside within the Togolese diaspora. Which means we’ve been away for more than three months “, explained MM. Azilan and Radji.
Faustin LAGBAI