The Comoros are preparing for turbulent presidential elections which will take place on January 14. Three candidates have officially announced their participation in this political race, each representing a different current.
The first candidate to declare himself is Mouigni Baraka Saïd Soilihi, former governor of the island of Grande Comore. He already led this island from 2011 to 2016 and now hopes to reach the highest office. This is his third attempt and he hopes to convince voters of his ability to take on the challenges facing the country.
The second candidate is Mohamed Daoudou, former Minister of the Interior under Azali Assoumani for five years. He recently joined the Comorian opposition after being fired in 2021. Daoudou joined forces with the Orange party, which is the only opposition party to have deputies in the National Assembly. He is counting on this alliance to support his candidacy and mobilize voters.
Finally, the third candidate is none other than the current president, Azali Assoumani, who is running for a second term. In his official announcement, he claimed that he was neither better nor smarter than the people, but that he had been chosen by consensus as the candidate. Azali has been in office since 2016 and hopes to convince voters of the need to continue supporting him to pursue the reforms underway.
In addition to these three candidates, five others have also already made themselves known, including Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, candidate of the main opposition party, Juwa. However, Sambi has currently been in detention since 2018 and was sentenced to life for high treason in a case related to economic citizenship. His candidacy is therefore uncertain.
In a country where the political stakes are high and where divisions are deep, these presidential elections promise to be crucial for the future of the Comoros. Candidates will have to demonstrate strategy, persuasion and solid proposals to convince voters to choose them as a leader who will meet the country’s socio-economic challenges and unite the population around a common project.
Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: Comorian politics will continue to evolve and citizens will need to closely follow these elections to take an active part in the future of their nation.