Opposition in Comoros Rejects Parliamentary Election Results and Denounces Fraud

The opposition in Comoros has outright rejected the results of the first round of parliamentary elections held on Sunday, labeling them as “blatantly rigged.” Daoud Abdallah Mohamed, an opposition leader and former Minister of the Interior (2016–2021), stated that the elections were marked by “vote tampering and ballot box stuffing,” pointing out that the number of voters exceeded the registered lists in several polling stations. He added that the opposition had boycotted the elections due to anticipated lack of transparency, with 338,940 voters called to elect 33 MPs.

Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral Commission on Anjouan Island, the poorest and most densely populated in the archipelago, announced the victory of 12 candidates from the ruling Convention for the Renewal of Comoros party, led by President Azali Assoumani, with vote shares ranging between 60% and 100%, and an official turnout exceeding 70%. However, observer reports raised doubts about the election’s integrity. One observer noted that ballot boxes in some centers on Sima Island, the hometown of the parliament speaker and a close ally of the president, were “quickly filled despite low voter turnout.”

N.A