Comoros presidential election, 2006
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections in the Comoros took place in two rounds on 16 April and 14 May 2006.
of Anjouan
and Mohéli
, a new constitution was approved in a December 2001 referendum. It created a union of semi-autonomous islands, each with its own constitution, president, and assembly
. The position of union president, who is the head of state and government, rotates between the three islands every four years.
A primary election is held on the island that will hold the union presidency. The three candidates who receive the most votes then stand in a nationwide election with a simple plurality needed to win.
In the 10 March primary held on the island of Grande Comore
, Azali Assoumani
finished first out of a field of nine candidates with 39.81% of the vote. Mahamoud Mradabi and Said Ali Kemal also qualified to participate in the second round, obtaining 15.69% and 10.68%, respectively.
Mradabi and Kemal alleged that irregularities had occurred during the primary and decided to boycott the 14 April poll. As a result, Azali Assoumani won approximately 80% of the vote.
Results
's turn to hold the union presidency.
Background
After a period of political instability that began in the late 1990s and saw the (unrecognized) secessionSecession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
of Anjouan
Anjouan
Anjouan is an autonomous island, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Mutsamudu and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers Anjouan (also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani) is an autonomous island,...
and Mohéli
Mohéli
Mohéli, also known as Mwali, is one of the three islands which make up the nation of Comoros. Mohéli is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is by far the smallest of the Comoros islands. Its population, as of 2006, is about 38,000. Its capital city is Fomboni...
, a new constitution was approved in a December 2001 referendum. It created a union of semi-autonomous islands, each with its own constitution, president, and assembly
Assemblies of the Autonomous Islands of the Comoros
In March and April 2002, the three islands of the Comoros held and approved new constitutions in referendums. The main points of the constitutions were to establish each island as an autonomous part of the Union of Comoros, along with provisions that created elected local assemblies and...
. The position of union president, who is the head of state and government, rotates between the three islands every four years.
A primary election is held on the island that will hold the union presidency. The three candidates who receive the most votes then stand in a nationwide election with a simple plurality needed to win.
2002 elections
The first union presidential elections held under the new constitution were conducted on 10 March and 14 April 2002.In the 10 March primary held on the island of Grande Comore
Grande Comore
Grande Comore is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population as of 2006 is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which is also the national capital...
, Azali Assoumani
Azali Assoumani
Azali Assoumani was a president of the Comoros. He became leader of the country on 30 April 1999 after leading a coup to depose acting president Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde, who he saw as pandering to the independence movement on Anjouan...
finished first out of a field of nine candidates with 39.81% of the vote. Mahamoud Mradabi and Said Ali Kemal also qualified to participate in the second round, obtaining 15.69% and 10.68%, respectively.
Mradabi and Kemal alleged that irregularities had occurred during the primary and decided to boycott the 14 April poll. As a result, Azali Assoumani won approximately 80% of the vote.
Results
2006 election
In the current election, it is the island of AnjouanAnjouan
Anjouan is an autonomous island, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Mutsamudu and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers Anjouan (also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani) is an autonomous island,...
's turn to hold the union presidency.
Candidates
A total of fourteen candidates were cleared to participate in the primary by the country's constitutional court. One of the approved candidates, Antoy Abdou, withdrew prior to the poll. The remaining thirteen candidates were:
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Mohamed Djaanfari Mohamed Djaanfari is a politician in The Comoros. He is a retired French air force officer, local transportation tycoon and Vice-President of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros. He contested the 2006 presidential elections and ended up losing badly to Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi... Nourdine Midiladji Nourdine Midiladji is a politician in the Comoros. He finished 5th in the election with 9.65% in the first round of voting. He did not qualify for the run-off. He served as Minister of Solidarity under the former president Azali Assoumani from January 2003 until May 2006.-References:... |