Togo's constitutional court today confirmed Faure Gnassingbe as the winner of last month's disputed presidential election, which triggered days of riots in which about 100 people were killed.
The court found Mr Gnassingbe, due to be sworn in on Wednesday, won 60.15 per cent of the vote. He succeeds his father, who ruled the West African country for 38 years and became the continent's longest-serving leader before his death in February.
The announcement of the poll's provisional results by the electoral commission last week sparked violent protests by opposition activists - who said the poll was rigged - and heavy-handed repression by security forces. The UN refugee agency says 18,500 people had fled to neighbouring Ghana and Benin.
Former colonial power France and regional body ECOWAS have accepted the election result, while the United States said irregularities in voter registration and electoral card distribution raised serious doubts.
Fears had grown in recent days that the official results for the April 24th vote could spark fresh unrest, and a top opposition leader called for popular resistance shortly after the court's declaration.
"We will give this regime a hard time," Jean-Pierre Fabre, secretary-general of the biggest opposition party said.
There was no immediate sign of trouble in the streets of the seaside capital Lome, where soldiers manned the main crossroads, particularly in the opposition flashpoints of Be and Dekon.
There were fewer cars circulating than usual, however, and many people appeared to have gone home from work early. Security was also heavy at the constitutional court, with marksmen posted on the roof of the building and pick-up trucks with mounted machine-guns deployed nearby.