Comoros swears in president after controversial elections

Comoran President Azali Assoumani took the oath of office on Sunday, two months after his controversial re-election, pledging to take “appeasement measures” to quell accusations of election fraud.

Azali has put oil revenue at the centre of his development plans, vowing to make the Comoros an “emerging economy” by 2030.

“There are good ideas, there are ideas, initiatives for the construction of the country. I am optimistic that he will do more about that,” said Mohamed Houmadi, Comoros national.

“I trust him because we’ve already started the El-Maarouf (hospital under construction), it’s a step, we have changed, there are roads, it’s a step. There is everything, there is electricity,” said Soeuf Anima, Comoros national.

The March election saw Azali garner 60 percent of the votes, a figure that has been disputed by the opposition and election observers. The other 12 Presidential candidates did not attend the swearing in ceremony in defiance.

“What I’m expecting is precisely for them to institute a new change, a new method and policy that speaks to the entire political class and at the same time that is a dynamic, positive, social, and economic approach,“said Moussa Ali Djamal, government supporter.

Azali seized power in a coup in 1999, and was re-elected in a 2016 vote marred by violence and allegations of irregularities.