Party for Democracy and Renewal
Encyclopedia
The Party for Democracy and Renewal (Parti pour la Démocratie et le Renouveau) is a political party
in Togo
. It was founded on May 1, 1991, and its National President is Zarifou Ayéva
.
The party has held three statutory congress: in 1991, 1998, and on February 24, 2007.
Ayéva ran as the PDR candidate in the June 1998 presidential election
, taking fourth place with 3.02% of the vote according to official results. On August 17, 1998, the PDR was the target of two explosions: one damaged its prefectural office in Sokodé
and the other damaged the home of a PDR official in Bafilo
. On the same day, a residence belonging to Ayéva was ransacked by security forces.
The party boycotted the March 1999 parliamentary election
along with the rest of the opposition, as well as the October 2002 parliamentary election
. It participated in the October 2007 parliamentary election
, but did not win any seats.
Ayéva has been accused of leading the party in an autocratic manner. The resignations of many leading members of the party, including three—Tchassona-Traoré Mouhamed, Innoussa Nafiou, and Adam Abdou Rahamane—in September 2006, have been attributed to this alleged tendency.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
. It was founded on May 1, 1991, and its National President is Zarifou Ayéva
Zarifou Ayéva
Zarifou Ayéva is a Togolese politician and the President of the Party for Democracy and Renewal . He served in the government of Togo as a minister during the 1970s and became an opposition leader in the early 1990s...
.
The party has held three statutory congress: in 1991, 1998, and on February 24, 2007.
Ayéva ran as the PDR candidate in the June 1998 presidential election
Togolese presidential election, 1998
A presidential election was held in Togo on 21 June 1998. President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, in power since 1967, was re-elected with 52.1% of the total vote according to official results...
, taking fourth place with 3.02% of the vote according to official results. On August 17, 1998, the PDR was the target of two explosions: one damaged its prefectural office in Sokodé
Sokodé
Sokodé is the second largest city in Togo and seat of the Tchaoudjo and Centrale Region in the center of the country, north of Lomé. With a population of 86,500 , currently at around 113,000, the city is situated between the Mo and Mono rivers, and it is a commercial center for the surrounding...
and the other damaged the home of a PDR official in Bafilo
Bafilo
Bafilo is a city in Togo south of Kara, in Kara Region, known for its large mosque, good wagassi cheese, its weaving industry and the nearby Bafilo Falls....
. On the same day, a residence belonging to Ayéva was ransacked by security forces.
The party boycotted the March 1999 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 1999
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 21 March 1999. They were boycotted by the eight opposition parties, who been rebuffed in their insistence that talks following the controversial presidential election the previous year must be completed prior to the parliamentary election...
along with the rest of the opposition, as well as the October 2002 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 2002
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 27 October 2002. Like the previous elections in 1999, they were boycotted by nine opposition parties , following the replacement of the Independent National Electoral Commission by a seven-magistrate committee and a revision of the Electoral Code...
. It participated in the October 2007 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in Togo on October 14, 2007 for the 81 seats in the National Assembly. There were over 2,000 candidates, with 32 parties and 41 lists of independent candidates competing. The ruling Rally of the Togolese People was victorious, winning a majority of 50 seats...
, but did not win any seats.
Ayéva has been accused of leading the party in an autocratic manner. The resignations of many leading members of the party, including three—Tchassona-Traoré Mouhamed, Innoussa Nafiou, and Adam Abdou Rahamane—in September 2006, have been attributed to this alleged tendency.