Comoros Supreme Court affirms Azali Assoumani's re-election amid controversy

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - The Comoros Supreme Court on Wednesday validated the contested re-election of President Azali Assoumani in elections held last week.

Rafik Mohamed, who heads the Court's division dedicated to constitutional and electoral matters, announced Assoumani as the winner during a news conference.

He said the ruling follows a "thorough examination" of results released last week by the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).

The court affirmed Azali's victory and said he secured 57.2% of the vote, a figure adjusted from the initially declared 62.97%.

A total of 191,297 people, constituting 56% of registered voters, participated in the voting, according to the Court's ruling.

The announcement follows a week of tension marked by clashes in the capital, Moroni, triggered by the release of election results.

The opposition insists that the elections were not free, fair or transparent, and there were numerous instances of electoral fraud that tainted the process.

One person tragically was killed and dozens sustained gunshot wounds amid the post-election turmoil.

Police reports showed widespread destruction of property as security forces clashed with protesters.

Assoumani, 65, a former military officer who 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.

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