Home of the Mandinmories

Is any serious observer of Togolese politics in the past few months surprise at the outcome of this farce? The inheritance didn't get derailed by so-called elections. Which gets me to thinking... Is elections in developing countries without any adherence to the rule of law tantamount to democracy? Should opposition figures in these countries focus their attention on rebuilding civic institutions first before contesting elections in environments ripe for mischief, thereby legitimizing fraudulent electoral victories by totalitarian nit-wits? The later seems to make more sense to me. But again I will have to leave that to political scholars and student of the trade to figure out.