Early presidential elections were held in the Comoros on 24 March 2019 alongside regional elections.Comoros: Presidential elections scheduled for March 2019
Garda World, 31 December 2018 A second round would have been held on 21 April if required, but incumbent President

Azali Assoumani Azali Assoumani ( ar, غزالي عثماني; born 1 January 1959) is a Comorian politician and military officer who has served as President of the Comoros since April 2019. He was also president from 2002 to 2006 and 2016 to February 2019. He ...

was re-elected in the first round of voting.

Electoral system

Until 2018, the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

of the Comoros rotated between the country's three main islands;

Anjouan Anjouan (; also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani, and historically as Johanna or Hinzuan) is an autonomous high island in the Indian Ocean that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. Its chief town is Mutsamudu and, , its population is around 277,500. ...

, Grande Comore and

Mohéli Mohéli , also known as Mwali, is an autonomous island that forms part of the Union of the Comoros. It is the smallest of the three major islands in the country. It is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa and it is the smallest of ...

. The 2010 elections were limited to Mohélian candidates and the

2016 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2016. Africa Benin Republic * 2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016 Cape Verde * 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016 Chad * 2016 Chadian presidential election 1 ...

saw candidates from Grand Comore contest the elections. The next presidential election would have seen a president elected from Anjouan. However, a

constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in July 2018 saw voters approve constitutional amendments that scrapped the rotation system and instituted a standard

two-round system The two-round system (TRS), also known as runoff voting, second ballot, or ballotage, is a voting method used to elect a single candidate, where voters cast a single vote for their preferred candidate. It generally ensures a majoritarian resu ...

in which a candidate has to receive a majority of the vote in the first round to be elected, with a second round held if no candidate is able to win in the first round. The changes also moved the next presidential elections forward to 2019 and allowed incumbent President

run for a second term. The referendum led to violent protests and an armed uprising in Anjouan in October 2018, which was stopped by the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

after several days.Comoros army regains control in Anjouan after uprising: minister
News 24, 21 October 2018

Candidates

A total of 20 candidates registered to contest the elections, with the Supreme Court determining the final list of eligible participants.Comores: clôture du dépôt de candidature pour la présidentielle
RFI, 23 January 2019 Incumbent President Assoumani ran for reelection, whilst other candidates attempting to register included the two losing candidates from the nationwide vote in 2016 ( Mohamed Ali Soilihi and Mouigni Baraka) and Salim Saadi, who contested the 2016 primary elections as an independent. Seven of the 20 applicants were rejected, including the main opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Soulé.Former Army Chief in Coup-Prone Comoros Rejects Vote Results
Bloomberg, 28 March 2019

Results

Aftermath

Following the election, the fourth-placed candidate Mohamed Soilihi called for the results to be invalidated and for a campaign of civil disobedience. He was subsequently arrested.

References

{{Comorian elections Comoros 2019 in the Comoros March 2019 events in Africa Presidential elections in the Comoros