Togo opposition says will not challenge poll result in court

Lome (AFP) - Togo's opposition said Friday it would not go to court to challenge incumbent Faure Gnassingbe's victory in a weekend presidential vote it claimed was rigged.

"We have not taken legal action, as we believe the Constitutional Court serves" the Togolese government, opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre's spokesman told AFP.

"If the Constitutional Court did its work, it would have automatically taken action," Eric Dupuy said.

The opposition had until Thursday at midnight (0000 GMT) to contest the result before the court.

On Tuesday, the electoral commission said Gnassingbe had won 58.75 percent of the vote, against Fabre's 34.95 percent.

The results, which Fabre branded "fraudulent" and a "crime against national sovereignty", are provisional and still subject to confirmation by the Constitutional Court.

The opposition leader had gone into Saturday's election looking to prevent Gnassingbe from securing a third term of office and end his family's nearly 50-year grip on power of the tiny west African nation.

Gnassingbe's father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, seized power in a coup and ruled with an iron fist for 38 years over the former German- and French-administered colony until his death in 2005.

Fabre came out on top in Lome, which historically goes to the opposition, despite gains by the incumbent.

Voter turnout was low, with about 40 percent of people staying at home against 35 percent in the previous presidential election in 2010.

Gnassingbe was boosted by overwhelming support from the north of the country, a family stronghold and bastion of the military.

The European Union, Togo's leading international lender, said Tuesday the election "went off calmly, confirming the Togolese people's attachment to democracy".

The African Union and regional bloc ECOWAS also said the vote was free and transparent.