The Chief Justice, Mrs. Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has called for closer collaboration between the Judiciaries of West African countries to enable them to exchange ideas on the resolution of electoral disputes and deepen democracy within the sub-region. The Chief Justice made the call when she paid a three- day working visit to the Togolese Constitutional Court. A statement signed by Mrs Grace A. Tagoe, Director of Communications at the Judicial Service for the Judicial Secretary, said the visit, which was at the invitation of the President of the Constitutional Court, Mr. Aboudou Assouma, created an opportunity for the Ghanaian Judiciary and the Togolese Constitutional Court to share knowledge and experiences on their operations in respect of the resolution of electoral disputes, discuss common challenges and strengthen cooperation between them for their mutual benefit and the enhancement of democracy, peace and development in their respective countries. According to the Chief Justice, because conflicts in the sub-region have largely been caused by post-election disagreements, it is important for the Judiciaries of West African countries to be bold, firm and fair in their handling of election disputes to safeguard the democracy, peace and security of their countries because it is the only viable route to development. Mrs. Georgina T. Wood was accompanied on her visit by three Justices of the Supreme Court - Justice Jones Dotse, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie and Justice Sule Gbadegbe. Mr. Aboudou Assouma in his welcome address thanked the Chief Justice and her delegation for accepting the invitation and reiterated the deep ties of friendship that have existed between the two neighbouring countries. He said in view of the strength of Ghana’s democracy and the experience of its Judiciary in handling electoral disputes, the visit was timely as it will enable the Togolese Constitutional Court to tap into that experience to improve on its operations. The Togolese Constitutional Court was established on October 14, 1992, the same day that the current Togolese Constitution came into operation, and is composed of 9 members appointed for a seven year period. Mr. Aboudou Assouma, in a presentation on the Constitutional Court said The President, the National Assembly and the Senate all make three appointments to the Court. The Constitutional Court, which derives its authority from Article 99 of the Togolese Constitution, is mandated by the Constitution to either validate or reject provisional results of Presidential and Parliamentary elections organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of Togo. The Court, in the exercise of its judicial function, determines the regularity of referendum, presidential and legislative elections and rules on disputes arising out of elections. The Court, which carries out its activities when it sits as a court or on every Wednesday as a General Assembly, is guided in its work by the Constitution, the country’s laws and the Court’s own House Rules. It has the power to determine the validity of the country’s laws, regulate the functions and activities of state institutions and rule on breaches of public freedoms and the fundamental human rights of individuals. Prof. Mama-Sani Aboudou-Salami, a member of the Court and a lecturer of Law at the University of Lome, made a presentation on the role of the CENI in the electoral process of Togo. According to him, the CENI, which is a permanent independent administrative body made of 17 members who are nominated for a renewable one-year term, is mandated by the Constitution to organise and supervise referenda and presidential, parliamentary and senatorial elections. The CENI for the purposes of elections, establishes the electoral roll, registers candidates, regulates campaigns, organizes the elections and proclaims the provisional results.