Presidential elections were held in

Anjouan Anjouan () is an autonomous volcanic island in the Comoro Islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, part of the Comoros, Union of the Comoros. It is known in Comorian languages, Shikomori as Ndzuani, Ndzuwani or Nzwani, and, until the early twentie ...

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, Barakani, Anjouan, then a France, French colony) is a Comoros, Comorian former politician who was President of Anjouan, one of the three autonomous islands that make up the Union of the ...

as President of Anjouan. The election was won by Moussa Toybou, who defeated Mohamed Djaanfari 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 (also known as Moutsamoudou) 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 d ...

), 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 the Na ...

), Moussa Toybou (a former minister in

Said Mohamed Djohar Said Mohammed Djohar ( 22 August 1918 – 22 February 2006) was a Comorian politician who served as the fifth President of the Comoros from 1989 to 1995. Climb to power Born on 22 August in 1918 in Majunga, Madagascar, Djohar was the hal ...

'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 . 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 This article lists the heads of state of the Comoros, since the country gained independence from France in 1975. Term limits A new constitution, approved in the 2018 constitutional referendum allows the president to run for two consecutive f ...

Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, 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.

Results

The final official result was confirmed by the Constitutional Court on 3 July 2008. Toybou was to be sworn in on 5 July 2008.

References

{{Reflist Elections in the Comoros

Anjouan