Comoros will hold elections for its 33-seat parliament on January 12, according to a decree published on Saturday.
However, opposition parties have announced their intention to boycott the poll.
The Indian Ocean archipelago, home to around 800,000 people, last held parliamentary elections in January 2020.
The upcoming election comes after incumbent President Azali Assoumani was re-elected for another five-year term in January, though opposition parties have rejected the results.
They alleged ballot stuffing and claimed voting was stopped before the official closing time.
The government has denied these allegations, maintaining that the election was conducted fairly.
Salim Issa Abdillah, leader of the opposition JUWA party and a candidate against Assoumani in the last election, expressed his party’s unwillingness to participate.
“We are not ready to take part in legislative elections until we know what is going to happen,” Abdillah told Reuters.
Abdillah stated that his party would boycott the elections, citing a lack of trust in Assoumani.
“We do not trust Azali Assoumani because no matter what commitments he makes, he will not respect them,” he said.
Another opposition party, Orange, also declared it would not participate due to the president’s decision to re-appoint Idrissa Said as head of the electoral body.
The opposition accuses Said of favoring the ruling Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) party.
Said has denied these accusations. Opponents of Assoumani claim he exhibits authoritarian tendencies and suspect he is grooming his eldest son, Nour El-Fath, to succeed him when his current term ends in 2029.
Assoumani has been in power since 1999, when he seized control through a coup. Since then, he has won three elections.
