UN's Annan concerned over Togo power handover

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 7 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was concerned about the handover of power in Togo, where Faure Gnassingbe was sworn in as president on Monday after the death of his father.
"The secretary general is concerned that the transfer of power that has taken place in Togo, following the death of President Eyadema, has not been done in full respect of the provisions of the constitution," Annan's spokesman said in a statement.
"The secretary general re-emphasises the need for constitutionality and respect for the rule of law," the statement said.
Gnassingbe Eyadema, a strongman who ran the west African country for 38 years without naming a successor, died on Saturday en route overseas for emergency treatment for a still-unknown malady.
Togo's military chose his son was chosen to take over, even though the head of the national assembly should have become interim leader according to the country's constitution.
The African Union condemned the move as a "coup d'etat."

02/07/2005 17:32 GMT - AFP