A presidential election was held in

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. ...

on 15 June and 29 June 2008 following the

2008 invasion of Anjouan The invasion of Anjouan (code-named Operation Democracy in Comoros), onMarch 25, 2008, was an amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union (AU) forces, including troops from Sudan, Tanzania, Senegal, along with logistical supp ...

to oust

Mohamed Bacar Colonel Mohamed Bacar (born May 5, 1962 in Barakani, Anjouan, then a French colony) is a Comorian former politician who was President of Anjouan, one of the three autonomous islands that make up the Union of the Comoros, from 2001 to 2008. He is ...

President of Anjouan The President of Anjouan is the head of Anjouan, one of the three islands of the Union of Comoros. The position was firstly established in 1997 after the Declaration of independence of Anjouan. Secondly the position became President of the autonom ...

. The election was won by

Moussa Toybou Moussa Toybou (born 28 November 1962) is the President of the autonomous island of Anjouan in the Union of the Comoros. Toybou won the June 2008 Anjouan presidential election, which was held to replace Mohamed Bacar following the March 2008 invas ...

, who defeated

Mohamed Djaanfari Mohamed Djaanfari (born 1952) is a politician in The Comoros. He is a retired French air force officer, local transportation tycoon and Vice-President of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros. He contested the 2006 presidential elections and en ...

in the second round. About 128,000 people were eligible to vote, and there were 240 polling stations."Anjouan votes to replace ousted president"
AngolaPress, June 16, 2008. Five candidates were qualified to contest the election: Bacar Abdou (deputy for

Mutsamudu Mutsamudu is the second-largest city in the Comoros. It is also the capital and largest city on the island of Anjouan as well the former home of former Comorian president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi. It now houses a deep water port, an ancient c ...

), Bastoine Soulaimane (a judge and former president of the Anjouan Court of Appeal), Mohamed Djaanfari (former vice-president of the

Assembly of the Union of the Comoros The unicameral Assembly of the Union of the Comoros is the country's legislative body. It was established in 2004. Legislative history The Comorian legislative body, Chamber of Deputies, was established in 1961. It was reconstituted as National ...

), Moussa Toybou (a former minister in

Said Mohamed Djohar Said Mohammed Djohar ( ar, سعيد محمد جوهر 22 August 1918 – 22 February 2006) was a Comorian politician who served as the 4th President of the Comoros from 1989 to 1995. Climb to power Born in Majunga, Madagascar, Djohar was ...

's government) and Soundi Abdoulatuf (a French military veteran)."Five candidates vie for the presidency of Anjouan"
, Panapress (afriquenligne.fr), May 20, 2008. These candidates were approved by the Constitutional Court on May 20. Voting for the first round on 15 June, although scheduled to begin at 7am, was delayed by an hour in the main cities, Mutsamudu and Domoni, due to the late arrival of ballot papers or electoral officials. First round turnout was placed at 42.79%."Début de la campagne pour le second tour de la présidentielle à Anjouan"
AFP (Jeuneafrique.com), June 21, 2008 . Djaanfari (with 42.3%) and Toybou (with 42.5%) advanced to the second round on 29 June 2008, separated by only 88 votes. The other three candidates received between 5.8% and 4.6%. Toybou was considered a newcomer to politics. He said that he knew "the mechanisms to lift Anjouan out of under-development", and he supported allowing some of those who served under Bacar to remain in administrative roles due to their experience and the need for reconciliation."Toybou elected Anjouan president: interim results"
AFP, June 30, 2008. He also enjoyed the support of

President of Comoros The following is a list of heads of state of the Comoros, since the country gained independence from France in 1975. List of officeholders Timeline Succession Article 58 of the Comorian Constitution states that "in case of absolute absen ...

Ahmed Abdallah Sambi Sayyid Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi ( ar, أحمد عبدالله محمد سامبي, born 5 June 1958) is a Comorian Islamic leader and politician, and former President of Comoros. He is popularly known as 'Ayatollah'. After easily winning the ...

, while Djaanfari was better known to the local population due to his prior political work. Campaigning for the second round began on June 21. Toybou won the run-off with 52.37% to Djaanfari's 47.63%, with a turnout of 48.98%; the results had to be validated by the Constitutional Court within three days. Djaanfari contested the result. Turnout in the second round was reportedly higher than in the first one. The final official result, as confirmed by the Constitutional Court on 3 July 2008, was: * Toybou – 52.42%, 30,941 votes * Djaanfari – 47.58%, 28,084 votes Toybou was to be sworn in on 5 July 2008.

References

{{Reflist Elections in the Comoros 2008 elections in Africa 2008 in the Comoros Anjouan