Comoros: President Assoumani tipped to win fourth term amid controversy

The Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Comoros will vote in an election on Sunday (14 January) that is widely expected to deliver a fourth term to incumbent President Azali Assoumani, a former military officer, whose opponents accuse him of stifling dissent.

In 2019, the 65-year-old Assoumani was re-elected president after constitutional reforms that extended presidential terms from one five-year term to two and also eradicated the need for a rotational presidency among the islands. This effectively provided Assoumani with the opportunity to seek another term and potentially extend his rule until 2029. The predominantly Muslim Indian Ocean archipelago nation has faced decades of political upheaval, witnessing approximately two dozens attempted or successful coups since breaking away from French rule in 1975.

Nearly 340,000 people are eligible to vote in the country of fewer than one million people, nearly half of whom live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. Assoumani will face five competitors, while other opposition leaders have called for a boycott, accusing the electoral commission of favoring the ruling party. While the electoral commission has denied these accusations, regional observer missions, including from the AU, said the 2019 was riddled with irregularities and lacked credibility. Assoumani, who held the rotating chairperson role of the African Union (AU) for the past year, and his government have been accused of a crackdown on political opposition, epitomized by the life imprisonment of ex-president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi on charges of corruption.