Faure Gnassingbe, the son of Togo's late president Gnassingbe Eyadema, was Tuesday formally declared winner of the presidential polls by the constitutional court.

The court "proclaims Faure Gnassingbe elected president of the Republic," after the Independent National Electoral Commission on April 26 announced that the ruling party's candidate Faure took 60.22 percent of the ballots, or 1.3 million votes, while his main rival Emmanuel Bob Akitani got over 840,000, or 38.19 percent of the valid ballots cast.

Violence erupted in the Togolese capital of Lome immediately after the announcement by the electoral commission, leaving 22 dead. Thousands of Togolese fled to neighboring countries including Ghana and Benin after the election, according to UN agencies.

Source: Xinhua