spoken Gnassingbe said on Sunday he was confident he would win. He pledged to form a government open to all parties if victorious and fight for more justice and freedom. "The majority of Togolese want calm and above all peace," he said after voting at a school next to the Lome barracks where his father, a soldier, coup leader and wrestling champion, used to sleep during his presidency. The opposition coalition has named a single candidate, Emmanuel Akitani-Bob, 74, to challenge Gnassingbe. "Ninety percent of the Togolese people want change after all they were subjected to by an intolerable regime for nearly 40 years," Akitani-Bob told reporters after casting his vote. Weeks of opposition protests demanding a delay and deadly battles between rival supporters armed with machetes have fuelled fears of more violence, especially if Gnassingbe is declared the winner -- as most analysts expect. --MORE 2319 Local Time 2019 GMT
