Comoros: the Supreme Court validates the re-election of Azali Assoumani, contested by the opposition
The Supreme Court announced this Wednesday, January 24, the final results of the presidential election of January 14.
The scores of the different candidates have evolved significantly.
But the re-election of outgoing President Azali Assoumani in the first round is not in question.
The President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani slips his ballot into the ballot box, January 14, 2024. © AFP / OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT
By: David Baché
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The outgoing president's score fell from nearly 63% to 57.2%.
Between the provisional results and the final ones, Azali Assoumani lost votes but for him, the essential remains acquired: in power since 2016, he will remain in power until 2029. The participation rate makes a spectacular jump, passing from 16.3% announced by the Céni, to 56.44% today, according to the Supreme Court.
The first of the five opposition candidates, Salim Issa Abdillah of the Juwa party, did not exceed 11.7% of the votes cast.
The Ceni had awarded him almost double that eight days ago.
The other four received between 1.6 and 10.6% of the votes.
The appeals filed by several candidates, denouncing fraud and requesting the cancellation of the vote, were simply deemed “
inadmissible
” by the Supreme Court.
In a joint declaration, the five opposition candidates “
reject en bloc
” these results which they therefore do not recognize.
They denounce the “
dictatorial drift
” of power which would have “
brought into line
” the Supreme Court.
“
We did not think that the Supreme Court was going to ignore the 350 minutes that we filed which clearly prove that Azali did not win this election in the first round.
They ignored the candidates' appeals.
So for us, it is only a failure, a violation of the sovereignty of the people to whom it is up to learn the lessons of this violation of their fundamental right
,” reacts Latuf Abdou, a Juwa party executive and one of the representatives of its candidate, Dr Issa Salim Abdillah, who criticizes “
a very bad example of democracy
”.
“ The fight against this electoral charade
is
not over
,” warn the candidates, calling on voters to “
mobilize
”, without specifying how.
Last week, they also requested the support of the African Union to obtain the organization of new elections.
The announcement of the provisional results last week caused two
days of riots
, mainly in the capital Moroni.
Since then, calm has returned, but tensions persist.
Power calls for dialogue
The five opponents are finally concerned about the arrests, in recent days, of several executives of their parties and many young people who participated in the protest movement.
As a warning, the public prosecutor recalled today that the immunity enjoyed by the candidates in the elections ended with this proclamation of the final results.
In Azali Assoumani's camp, they celebrate the victory by calling on the opposition to stop making accusations and to agree to dialogue with the re-elected president.
“
Comorians have faith in the future prospects initiated by President Azali for the emergence of the Comoros by 2030
,”
says Houmed Msaidié, Minister of Agriculture, government spokesperson and campaign director of the Head of State
.
Having participated in the electoral campaign, having seen the campaigns of our adversaries, I did not doubt for a single moment the victory of President Azali.
President Azali is an open man.
There is always the possibility of sitting down together to discuss the future of the Comoros.
»
On January 14, Comorians voted in a double ballot for their president, but also for their governors.
The candidates presented by the presidential camp in the three islands of Grande Comore, Mohéli and Anjouan are also officially elected in the first round.
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