MORONI, Comoros — On Sunday, Comoros conducted a parliamentary election amidst claims from certain opposition figures who chose to boycott the voting process. They criticized President Azali Assoumani and his ruling party for exhibiting increasingly authoritarian behavior and raised concerns regarding the fairness of the electoral process.
The election, which lasts for a single day, was set to fill 33 legislative seats, with results anticipated next week, as per the national electoral commission’s deadline. Approximately 330,000 citizens from a total population of 850,000 on this Indian Ocean archipelago were registered to vote. Despite these figures, opposition factions expressed skepticism about turnout, citing widespread disenchantment with the current democratic practices.
In the previous parliamentary elections held in 2020, Assoumani’s party, the Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros, alongside its coalition allies, secured 20 positions out of the 24 seats that were up for grabs. On the day of the election, Assoumani cast his vote in Mitsoudjé, which is located on the largest island, Grande Comore.
Opposition groups characterized the 2020 elections as a “masquerade,” insisting the process lacked transparency and fairness. In a controversial election last year, Assoumani claimed another five-year term, a contest that also attracted claims of impropriety from opposition parties, leading to violent protests throughout the streets.
The Juwa Party, led by former President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, was notably among the opposition parties opting out of Sunday’s voting, replicating its stance from the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The Comoros archipelago consists of three islands located off the eastern coast of Africa, near Madagascar. Since achieving independence from France in 1975, Comoros has witnessed numerous military coups. Assoumani, a former military officer, first ascended to power in 1999 by overthrowing the then-president.
At 66 years of age, Assoumani initially relinquished the presidency in 2006 after serving one term. He later returned to power and claimed victory in the 2016 elections, followed by winning three subsequent elections. He enacted constitutional amendments in 2018 that enabled him to bypass term limits and nullify a prior political agreement which mandated a rotation of the presidency among the Comoros islands.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an American research institution funded by Congress, highlighted that Assoumani’s tenure has been characterized by escalating political suppression and elections lacking competitive integrity.
Despite the threat posed by Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi, which was anticipated to approach Comoros and the neighboring French territory of Mayotte during the election day, officials confirmed that voting procedures would continue as scheduled.
