Comoros' president wins fourth 5-year term

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Comoros’ President Azali Assoumani has won a fourth five-year term, the country's electoral body announced late Tuesday.

The election, held on Sunday, was marked by controversy as Assoumani faced off against five opponents, ultimately winning with 62.97% of the vote, according to results published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).

"This triumph is not just mine. It belongs to the resilient people of Comoros who have spoken. It's a shared victory,” Assoumani said in his address to supporters just after being declared the winner.

Following the announcement, Mouigni Baraka Said Soilihi, one of the primary opponents, vehemently denounced the results, alleging widespread fraud and irregularities in the electoral process.

President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi was quick to extend his congratulations to Assoumani, acknowledging the electoral outcome.

At 65, Assoumani, a former military officer who first came to power in a 1999 coup, has now served two non-consecutive terms as president, from 2002 to 2006 and from 2016 to the present.

The 2018 constitutional referendum that paved the way for his potential re-election was deeply divisive, with critics accusing him of undermining the power-sharing agreement among Comoros' three main islands.