BREAKING: Faure Gnassingbe wins Togo’s election by 72% to rule for another 5 years.

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has been re-elected for a fourth term, the national electoral commission has declared, extending his 15-year rule and a family dynasty that began when his father took power in a 1967 coup.

The incumbent leader took 72 percent of the vote share in the first round of the presidential election, according to preliminary results from the commission on Monday, ahead of his closest rival and former prime minister Agbeyome Kodjo with 18 percent.

The final results are expected to be announced by the Supreme Court in coming days.

If confirmed, the result gives Gnassingbe five more years in power, a blow for opposition protesters who have taken to the streets in recent years, calling for him to step down.

Gnassingbe has led the country of eight million people since taking over in 2005 following the death of his father Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled the country for 38 years.

Story by: SB BITIAN