Lomé, Togo - The opposition Republican Front for Power Shift and Change (FRAC) on Wednesday staged a protest march in Lomé, the capital of Togo, to press for the reinstatement into the national assembly of nine opposition MPs close to the National Alliance for Change (NAC) led by Jean-Pierre Fabre.

The constitutional court of Togo on 22 November 2010 issued a ruling expelling the nine MPs from the national assembly. However, last October the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered the Togolese government to "repair the violation of the rights of the MPs and to pay each an amount of three million francs CFA".

The verdict of the ECOWAS Court of justice is being interpreted by the two camps in various ways to suit their cause.

For the government, the stated amount represents terminal benefits whereas for NAC the ECOWAS court ordered the reinstatement of the MPs.

Pana 24/11/2011