Blazing barricades are set up on the main street of Lome, capital of Togo April 26, 2005. (Xinhua Photo)

 LOME, April 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Togolese people reacted violently Tuesday in capital Lome against the results just released by the independent electoral commission, which declared Faure Gnassingbe,son of late leader Eyadema Gnassingbe president of the politically-turbulent country.

    Gunshots can be heard frequently in the capital soon after the announcement, as people set tyres as barricades everywhere in Lome,with black smoke from the burning tyres permeating the whole city.

    People hid away and the capital regained relative calmness later as trucks loaded with soldiers and machine guns patrolled inthe street, but gunshots can still be heard sporadically.

    In a near downtown area, a jeep, with back windows broken, and plaque indicating the US embassy, was stopped and searched by militants with white scarf, logo of the ruling party's supporters.

    

Togolese independent electoral commission declared Faure Gnassingbe,son of late leader Eyadema Gnassingbe, the new president. The file photo shows Faure Gnassingbe in Feb. 7, 2005.

Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission Kissem Tchangai-Walla announced Tuesday morning that the ruling party's candidate Faure Gnassingbe has won Sunday's presidential polls.

    The poll was called after Gnassingbe failed to take over the helm of the country directly from his father after the latter's sudden death. Although backed by the army, the move violating the constitution was widely opposed by Togolese people, western African leaders and the international community.

    Under intense pressure from protests at home and abroad, Faure stepped down three weeks after he was installed as president by the army.

    Emmanuel Bob Akitani, vice president of the main opposition party, which was backed as the single candidate by the six biggestopposition parties' coalition, stood as the opposition candidate in the polls. He came second in Togo's 2003 presidential election,defeated by the then president Eyadema.

    Kissem announced that according to the preliminary results collected by her commission, Faure, grabbing 60.22 percent of the valid ballots cast, exceeding his main rival Akitani, who garnered38.19 percent of the voters, with a relatively big margin.

    However, she said the over 2.2 million valid ballots that have been taken into account did not include the ballot boxes which were destroyed by militants unknown in the Lome constituency.

    She called on all the voters to accept the results produced under the "fair play" environment, and told reporters her commission will submit the information to the constitutional court,which will announce the final results later.

    Faure, and the opposition leader in exile, Gilchrist Olympio, which was barred from running in the Sunday's election by the constitution, were called by Nigerian President Olugegun Obasanjo to Abuja Monday night, for a reconciliation meeting.

    Olympio is son of Togo's first president Sylvanus Olympio, who was Togo's first leader after independence from France but was assassinated in a military coup in 1963.

    Obasanjo said afterward that the two parties have reached agreement to reconcile and they will make up a transitional government. However, Olympio told the French radio later that he did not sign any agreement with Faure.

    Akila-Esso Boko, former interior minister of Togo, responsible for organizing the election was dismissed by the government earlier for calling on the reporters to his residence and made a suggestion that the government should postpone the presidential election, calling it as "suicide."

    He has earlier warned that civil war could probably break out if the government will not hold a transparent election, and he suggest forming a transitional government to hold such polls.

    Over 2.2 million people out of the 3.59 million eligible voterscast ballots Sunday in more than 5,000 polling stations across thewest African country with a population of around 5 million.

    Before the election, the opposition kept accusing the ruling party of fraud in the two-week long campaign, and clashes hence have claimed at least 10 lives and injured hundreds. Enditem