Opposition leaders in the Comoros are intensifying their call for the annulment of the recent presidential election, citing alleged irregularities, as protests erupt in response to President Azali Assoumani’s declared victory.
Election authorities declared Assoumani the winner with 62.97 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, but the opposition, comprised of five challengers, claims the results are tainted by ballot-stuffing and fraud.
“Incontestably these ballots of Sunday January 14, 2024 are invalid. We denounce them and demand their pure and simple annulment,” the candidates said, in a joint statement.
Tensions escalated as security forces deployed tear gas and made arrests in response to protesters attempting to block roads in the capital, Moroni.
Debris and burning tires littered the streets, with the largest market in the archipelago empty after the disputed results were announced.
Government spokesman Houmed Msaidie accused the opposition of orchestrating the protests, stating, “There have been arrests, but I can’t give you the figure for the moment. It’s totally normal when there are people out there who want to disturb public order.”
While there have been no reports of fatal violence, the politically volatile Comoros, home to around 870,000 people, has a history of 20 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence in 1975.
Official results released on Tuesday showed Assoumani, a former coup leader turned civilian president, winning re-election in the first round. However, the unexpectedly low 16 percent turnout and significant discrepancies in reported votes for the presidential and regional governor races have raised doubts about the election’s regularity.
The opposition candidates expressed disbelief at the official results, noting that the numbers implied an improbable scenario where more than two-thirds of voters cast ballots for island governors but not for the presidential race in the same polling stations.
“It’s impossible,” they said, adding this called into question the veracity of the official results. “There is nothing to say: a flagrant fraud has been committed.”
Large numbers of police, gendarmes, and armed soldiers were deployed to quell unrest, using tear gas to disperse civilians. In some areas, groups of youths clashed with security forces, while residents, anticipating further tension, prepared to leave.
“Everyone is gone. I’m going too. I was tear-gassed,” said Amina, a stallholder in the normally bustling Volo-Volo market, now just rows of empty wooden stands.
