Chamber:
	Assemblée nationale
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	27 October 2002
Purpose of elections:
	General elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly following premature dissolution of this body. Elections had previously taken place in March 1999.
Background and outcome of elections:
	Voters went to the polls on 27 October 2002 for early legislative elections, as stipulated in the Lomé Framework Agreement which the authorities and the opposition signed in July 1999 with a view to resolving the political crisis that began in the early 1990s. Under this Agreement, President Eyadéma promised not to run in the presidential elections of 2003 and to hold new legislative elections. The latter had been postponed twice. The two-week electoral campaign, which opened on 11 October, focused on the controversy sparked by the Constitutional Court's appointment of a seven-magistrate committee responsible for organizing elections, following the revision of the Electoral Code. The new body replaces the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Both the appointment and the amendment of the Electoral Code led most of the opposition parties to oppose the holding of the elections, protesting what they viewed as unilateral measures by the government. Under the umbrella of the "Coalition of Democratic Forces" (created on the eve of the elections), nine so-called "traditional" opposition parties urged the public to boycott the elections. However, 14 small parties, also from the opposition, put forward 45 candidates in all. Some 2.9 million voters signed up on electoral lists to choose 81 MPs from among the candidates of sixteen political parties and the eight independent candidates in the running. Some fifty observers from Europe, the United States of America and Africa monitored the elections and declared them transparent and democratic, while regretting the opposition's failure to participate. The European Union considered that "the preparation of these elections did not comply with the conditions set in the Lomé Framework Agreement", noting that "the opposition parties, which had signed the agreement, did not take part in the elections". The Togolese People's Rally (RPT, the party in power) took 72 of the 81 seats in the new National Assembly, while the remaining nine seats went to four opposition political parties and one independent candidate. The Rally for Democracy and Development (RSDD) polled three seats, as against two each for the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) and JUVENTO. The Believers' Movement for Equality and Peace (MOCEP) obtained one seat.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (27 October 2002): Elections results
Number of registered electors	2 841 079
Voters	1 915 875 (67 %)

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Togolese People's Rally (RPT)	72
Rally for Democracy and Development (RSDD)	3
Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS)	2
JUVENTO	2
Believers' Movement for Equality and Peace (MOCEP)	1
Independents	1

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	75
Women:	6
Percent of women:	7.41