Former coup leader Assoumani wins disputed Comoros presidential vote

The president of the Comoros, former coup leader Azali Assoumani, has won re-election in the first round of disputed elections in the Indian Ocean nation.

Former coup leader Azali Assoumani celebrates with supporters at his party's Convention for the Renewal of Comoros headquarters in Moroni on January 16, 2024 after he won re-election. AFP - OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT

Official results from the electoral commission show Assoumani took 62.97 percent of Sunday's vote, which was marred by opposition claims of ballot rigging.

Suspicions of election fraud emerged following the late publication of voting lists, with opposition leaders saying many people were left unsure where they were supposed to vote.

The 65-year-old's victory over five opposition challengers does not appear to have generated much enthusiasm, with only 16.3 percent of the country's 340,000-strong electorate turning out.

But if the supreme court validates the result on Sunday, Assoumani – the current chairman of the African Union – will embark on a third consecutive term and rule until 2029.

"This is a strong moment for our country, which is doing everything in its power to consolidate democracy," the re-elected leader told a gathering of supporters.

In a country that has seen more than 20 coups and attempted coups since independence from France in 1975, Assoumani hailed his backers for "political maturity".

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Angry opposition

The opposition, meanwhile, expressed anger. In a joint statement released even before the official results, the other candidates denounced what they claimed was ballot-stuffing and fraud.

"This regime, with the complicity of certain institutions implicated in the electoral process, wants to falsify the results," they said, alleging that troops had disrupted voting.

On Monday, candidate Issa Salim Adillah – who came second with 20.26 percent in the official results – had warned that the opposition had "an action plan that we will roll out at the right moment".

International observers had earlier announced that as far as they had seen the election had been carried out in "peace and tranquility".

(with AFP)