Comoros to hold presidential election on January 14

Presidential elections in the Comoros will be held on January 14, with the incumbent head of state and current president of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, standing for re-election.

"The election of the president of the Union of the Comoros and those of the governors of the autonomous islands (...) shall take place on January 14, 2024", according to an official decree issued on Wednesday. A second round is scheduled for February 25.

For several weeks now, the largest opposition coalition, which is nevertheless deeply divided, has been denouncing a ballot "played out in advance", and has threatened to boycott the election.

"We will not take part in yet another electoral farce," said Mohamed Ali Soilihi, leader of the Enlarged Common Front, which brings together the main opposition parties in the Indian Ocean archipelago, last month.

"We are calling for a boycott of the next presidential election, because the conditions for a democratic, fair and inclusive election have not been met", threatened the exiled opposition leader. The opposition demands the release of all political prisoners and the return of political exiles.

Since coming to power in 1999, thanks to one of the many coups d'état that have rocked the country since its independence from France in 1975, Azali Assoumani has imprisoned many of his opponents. Many are also in exile, and a large part of the Comorian opposition is now organized from abroad.

At the beginning of September, the Comorian courts rejected.

Since coming to power in 1999, in one of the many coups d'état that have rocked the country since its independence from France in 1975, Azali Assoumani has imprisoned many of his opponents. Many are also in exile, and a large part of the Comorian opposition is now organized from abroad.

In early September, the Comorian courts rejected an appeal calling for the right to vote to be guaranteed for the diaspora. The electoral code provides for the participation of Comorians living abroad, but in practice the means are not in place to enable them to register to vote.