Comoros’ 2024 Presidential Elections: Get Familiar with the 6 Presidential Candidates

Written by: Asana Abukari and Peter Agbesi Adivor

Comoros - one of Africa’s Island nations, is set to elect a new president on come January 14^th, 2024. About 340,000 voters are estimated to exercise their franchise on Sunday. The incumbent, President Azali Assoumani who has been in power since 1999 is seeking for a third term but will be running against five (5) other candidates.

The other candidates include; Salim Issa Abdillah of the Juwa party, Mouigni Baraka Said Soilihi of Democratic Rally of the Comoros (RDCE), Daoudou Abdallah Mohamed of the Orange party, Aboudou Soefo of the Tsasi Movement and independent candidate, Bourhane Hamidou.

A constitutional referendum in 2018 revolutionized the Comoros’ political system, relinquishing the status quo of the three main islands of the Comoro;  Anjouan, Grande Comore and Moheli rotating the presidency. The referendum also instituted a two-round voting system where the election enters a second round (run off) if no candidate obtains the majority vote in the first round.

The African Elections Project takes a look at the profiles of the presidential candidates in the upcoming presidential elections.

Salim Issah Abdillah

Salim Issah Abdillah, 49, is one of President Azali’s key contenders in this year’s election. He is running on the ticket of former President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi’s Juwa political party in Comoros established in 2013. A medical doctor by profession, Abdillah is considered a novice in the Comorian political space.

He has presented himself as an advocate for change, vowing to address economic strife in the country if given the nod as president for the next five years. He plans to achieve this by implementing social reforms, free emergency healthcare, and cutting down government expenditure.

Azali Assoumani

Azali Assoumani, 65, is the current president of Comoros since 2019. He leads the Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros party.  Azali has been the head of state of the India Ocean Archipelago nation since 1999 after he staged a coup d’etat. He was later elected as president in 2002, 2016 and 2019 and has served as chairperson of the African Union since February 2023.

As president, his rule has been marred by clampdown on opposition and dissent. Opposition groups have accused Azali of amending the constitution he once introduced to allow him to lead the country until 2029.

If elected, this will mark his fourth term as president of the Island country of over 800,000 people.

As part of his campaign, he has touted and pledged to continue the construction of roads, hospitals, and other infrastructure projects. He also promises to create a favorable environment for investors as well us focusing development in the health and education sectors of the country.

Mouigni Baraka Said Soilihi

Mouigni Baraka Said Soilihi is the leader of the Comoros Democratic Rally for Equality in Comoro which was established in November 2013. He served as the governor of Grande Comore (Ngazidja) from 2011 to 2016. His first attempt at the presidency was in 2016 when he contested against incumbent president Azali Assoumani. He made another unsuccessful attempt in 2019, obtaining only 6% of the vote.

The priority of the Soilihi campaign is to review the constitution which he claims is designed for the incumbent President Azali. The former governor is counting on his achievements in Grand Comore to canvass for votes. He pledges to dissolve the National Assembly, introduce a new constitution and hold fresh elections. On the economy, Soilihi plans to cut down the expenditure of the presidency if elected into office.

Aboudou Soefo

Aboudou Soefo was a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and leader of the Tsasi movement. His campaign is centered around the fight against high cost of living and the establishment of social safety nets to alleviate household costs through curbing inflation and introducing free medical care.

Daoudou Abdallah Mohamed

Daoudou Abdallah Mohamed has been the leader of the Orange Party in Comoros since 2016. He was a former mayor of the capital city, Moroni. Daoudou also served as Minister of interior from 2016 to 2021. According to him, his decision to run for president stems from the existing polarization, high standard of living, and youth unemployment in Comoros. In that regard, he has indicated his interest to fight against high-cost of living in country by increasing purchasing power and retirement pensions, and reforming the countries tax system.

Bourhane Hamidou

Bourhane Hamidou is the last of the six candidates and the only independent candidate running in this year’s Comorian election. He has served as President and Speaker of the National Assembly and Minister of Interior and Information.

Hamidou’s presidency intends to focus on improving the country’s education and health systems. To achieve this, his campaign pledges to introduce free emergency medical services. He also seeks to review the constitution like most of the opposition candidates and consider allowing Comorians living in the diaspora to participate in voting.

Will this year’s election be free and fair?

Presidential elections in Comoros have always been faced with controversies in the past. After the incumbent president was declared as the winner in 2019, opposition parties protested against the outcome of the election with allegations of irregularities among others during the voting process. Some members of the opposition are determined to boycott the elections due to their lack of trust in the electoral process. All five opposition candidates have raised concerns about the conduct of the election but are determined to push through unlike proponents of the boycott. Authorities are also expected to maintain an increased security posture nationwide, especially in Moroni, through mid-January during Sunday’s election.

Editing by: Emmanuel Asomani Koranteng

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