The presidential elections in Togo have passed off without any serious disturbances.

There was a choice of seven candidates, including the incumbent Faure Gnassingbé. He came to power five years ago following the death of his father Gnassingbé Eyadema, who ruled Togo as dictator for 38 years.

The main challenger to Faure Gnassingbé is the economist and opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre.

The elections in Togo were supervised by hundreds of monitors from the European Union, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The first results are not expected before Saturday at the earliest.