FREE DAILY EMAIL

Togo 's electoral commission on Friday rejected the candidacy of main opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio in the June 1 presidential polls, saying his application was "incomplete," a source said Friday.

The Togolese Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) retained the papers of seven candidates, including President Gnassingbe Eyadema, who has ruled over the country since 1967, but rejected Olympio's application because he failed to provide a tax receipt and proof of address in Togo, the source said.

The source said the decision had been verbally communicated to the opposition leader, who could appeal "to the constitutional court in line with the electoral law." Olympio, the son of the country's first president, Sylvanus Olympio, assassinated in 1963, was seen as Eyadema's most serious rival in the June vote.

Head of the Union of Forces for Change (UFC), Olympio returned from exile on Saturday to a hero's welcome from his supporters, but immediately saw an obstacle placed in his way to the presidency when Togo's tax service declared it could not give a tax receipt to Olympio, who has been living in exile.

The electoral law also requires presidential candidates to have lived in the country for a year before the polls.

The latter requirement was passed recently by parliament, which is dominated by Eyadema's supporters. Olympio's party has slammed the move as unconstitutional.

Eyadema in July 2001 said he planned to retire in 2003, in line with pledges he made in July 1999 under an accord signed in Lome, which was aimed at ending a decade of tensions and deadlocks among political parties over voting procedures and fairness.

However, last December the national assembly, where the ruling party has an overwhelming majority of 72 seats out of 81, opened the way to a third term for Eyadema with a constitutional amendment- Sapa-AFP

SPONSORED BY

Advanced