The spokesperson for the diplomatic service of the European Union said she was concerned about reports of post-election violence and clashes between opponents and security forces. In the meantime, three opponents challenged Azali Assoumani’s victory before the high court.
Friday was mostly quiet in the capital Moroni, but the city seemed dead. The call to demonstrate after the weekly prayer, launched by the opposition, had no responders. It is unclear why the rallies did not take place. However, this did not prevent the European Union from reacting to the events of recent days, in particular the waves of protest which shook Moroni. In a statement published on January 19, the EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy recalled that “the European Union is closely following the progress of the elections of the President and governors in the Comoros, which took place on January 14, 2024.” European diplomacy says it takes note of the provisional results announced by the independent electoral commission (Ceni) on January 16. However, she continued, “we note with concern the accusations, made by the opposition, of dysfunctions, irregularities and electoral fraud”. They also cited the selective and late accreditation granted to election observers. The accreditations were issued the day before, late in the evening. “It was midnight when we received them,” confirmed one of the observers. The spokesperson for the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy expressed her concern over the riots which broke out since Wednesday, paralyzing the capital for two days. “The EU is particularly concerned by reports of post-election violence and clashes between opponents and security forces – which reportedly left at least one dead and six injured on January 18,” added Nabila Massrali, who calls for “all actors to assert their legitimate interests while respecting legality and recalls the obligation of the Comorian authorities to guarantee at all times the right to freedom of expression, assembly and peaceful demonstration”.
French diplomacy, silent until now, has also indicated for its part that it is carefully following the current situation in the Union of the Comoros while expressing its concern about the tensions and violence of recent days. Since Wednesday, the streets have contested Azali Assoumani’s victory. These riots left one dead and several injured, according to an official report. Paris calls on all Comorian actors to exercise restraint and dialogue. After a first press release on January 15 in which it congratulated the Comorian people for their participation in the elections, the United States now recognizes that the serious concerns raised after the publication of the results published Tuesday by the electoral commission must be addressed to “maintain peace and the well-being of the nation. In its statement this Friday, January 19, the United States Embassy in the Comoros calls on the authorities to ensure total transparency and clarification of the results announced Tuesday which place Azali Assoumani in the lead with 62.97%, before certification by the Supreme Court . The high court has until January 30 to publish the final results. In this regard, three candidates, including Doctor Salim Issa of the Juwa party, have already filed petitions with the high court. By law, any challenge had to reach the supreme court no later than Saturday. The former Minister of the Interior, Abdallah Mohamed “Kiki” Daoudou, calls for the cancellation of the January 14 vote and points to ballot stuffing. The last candidate who referred the electoral dispute to the judge is the leader of the Woneha movement, Hamidou Bourhane. The supporters of President Azali want a revision of the participation rate (16.30% according to the Ceni), according to them not in compliance. If people do not doubt for a single second that the score collected by the ex-putschist will be revised, the chances of seeing the supreme court go against the CENI are on the other hand more than slim if not non-existent. In the meantime, despite the calm found in Moroni, the population lives in uncertainty.
Moreover, on Friday, many localities demonstrated across Grande Comore, after the weekly prayer, chanting slogans hostile to President Azali Assoumani. To the south, roads were blocked, like Singani, the locality of origin of the president of the Ceni. In France, the diaspora organized a demonstration this Sunday at the Place d’Aix in Marseille.
This article is originally published on mayottehebdo.com
