[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 229 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 229

  Supporting the people of the Togolese Republic in their desire for 
 free, fair, and open elections and the establishment of a democratic, 
                       representative government.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2005

 Ms. McCollum of Minnesota (for herself and Ms. Watson) submitted the 
     following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Supporting the people of the Togolese Republic in their desire for 
 free, fair, and open elections and the establishment of a democratic, 
                       representative government.

Whereas, in 1960, the West African country of the Togolese Republic gained its 
        independence from France;
Whereas, in 1967, former President Gnassingbe Eyadema seized power in Togo, and 
        he remained in power until his death on February 5, 2005;
Whereas in its 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the Department of 
        State stated with respect to Togo that, ``The Constitution provides for 
        the right of citizens to change their government peacefully; however, 
        the Government restricted this right in practice.'';
Whereas following former President Eyadema's death, the Togolese army suspended 
        the constitution and appointed former President Eyadema's son, Faure 
        Gnassingbe, as president;
Whereas, on February 6, 2005, the Togolese parliament amended the constitution 
        to allow Faure Gnassingbe to stay in power and carry out the remaining 
        three years of his father's presidential term, with no new elections 
        scheduled until 2008;
Whereas the Togolese constitution stipulates that upon a president's death, the 
        Speaker of the Parliament should sit as interim president for sixty 
        days, after which a presidential election is to be held;
Whereas the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African 
        Union considered the actions in Togo to be a military coup, and both 
        organizations imposed sanctions on Togo;
Whereas regional security organizations, the United Nations, and other countries 
        called for Faure Gnassingbe's resignation, and a Department of State 
        spokesman stated, ``the United States does not accept as legitimate the 
        designation of Gnassingbe as interim president and calls on him to step 
        aside immediately.'';
Whereas after mounting international pressure, Faure Gnassingbe authorized new 
        elections and stepped down as interim president;
Whereas opposition groups and citizens in Togo have held pro-democracy 
        demonstrations in the capital city of Lome, and the protests have 
        resulted in limited violence; and
Whereas, in his 2005 inaugural address, President George W. Bush stressed the 
        link between United States national security and securing democracy 
        globally when he stated, ``It is the policy of the United States to seek 
        and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every 
        nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our 
        world . . . Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by 
        citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of 
        minorities . . . We will encourage reform in other governments by making 
        clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of 
        their own people.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the people of the Togolese Republic in their 
        desire for free, fair, and open elections and the establishment 
        of a democratic, representative government;
            (2) calls on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to 
        encourage the Government of Togo and the Togolese people to 
        seek a peaceful transition to a democratically elected 
        government, in accordance with internationally accepted values 
        of democracy and transparency, and to be diligent in ensuring 
        free, fair, and open elections;
            (3) recognizes the positive steps designed to promote 
        democracy and stability in the region taken by the Economic 
        Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which took swift 
        steps to condemn the original disregard of the Togolese 
        constitution;
            (4) encourages ECOWAS to continue monitoring and promoting 
        democracy in Togo and in its other member countries;
            (5) encourages the African Union and the international 
        community to monitor the presidential elections in Togo and to 
        continue to monitor Togo following the elections to guard 
        against violence of any kind;
            (6) encourages the presence of internationally recognized 
        organizations to serve as election monitors in Togo to ensure 
        free, fair, and open elections by allowing all opposition 
        candidates to take part in the upcoming April 24, 2005, 
        presidential election; and
            (7) requests the Department of State to determine the 
        legitimacy of the elections on April 24, 2005, and to report to 
        the International Relations Committee of the House of 
        Representatives and the Foreign Relations Committee of the 
        Senate concerning whether the elections were free, fair, and 
        open.
                                 <all>