The Independent National Electoral Commission of Comoros on Tuesday declared President Azali Assoumani as the winner of the presidential election held on Sunday.
Azali wins 61 percent of votes
Djaza Ahmed Mohamed, the electoral commission chief, announced Azali way ahead of his closest rival Mahamoudou Ahamada in terms of votes. Azali won 60.77 per cent of the votes, while the runner up, Ahamada Mahamoudou, one of 12 opposition candidates, received 14.62 percent of the votes. As Assoumani has won more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round of the elections, there won’t be a second round of voting, reported BBC.
Delay in Results
The results were initially scheduled to be announced on Monday, but, police had to use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse opposition demonstrators protesting against the vote. Opposition candidates claimed the voting was marred by irregularities including barring of independent monitors and marking of ballot papers before voting began. They blamed the election authorities for rigging the poll to ensure former President Assoumani’s victory.
Even observers from the African Union, Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa and African Standby Forces of the East on Monday announced the entire voting process lacked credibility or transparency as it was full of irregularities.
Notably, Comoros followed a system that rotates the post among the country’s three main islands- Grande-Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli which constitute the archipelago. However, last year, Azali called for a referendum to reset the president’s term of office to 10 years and decided on an early presidential election. The reform allows Azali to hold two five-year mandates instead of one.
The move triggered months of protests angering natives of the island of Anjouan who argue that it is their turn to hold the presidency.
Don’t forget to check with The Chief Observer for latest updates on Comoros Presidential Election 2019.
