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In the Comoros, voters vote in the presidential elections of the archipelago. Outgoing President Azali Assoumani is expected to win another term in a vote that would have been diverted by his rivals.
The main opposition claimed that the irregularities found Sunday in several polling stations by the electoral commission constituted a "coup d'etat" and called for a "resistance" public.
"We, the candidates, declare the current government illegitimate … [we] call on the population to resist and mobilize against it ", Soihili Mohamed, the Leader of the Union of Opposition Group and former member of deputy chair, told reporters on the island of Moroni.
Azali confirmed but downplayed sporadic incidents after voting in a school in Mitsoudje, on the main island of Grande Comore.
"It was said that there had been problems, it is not a surprise," he said.
"We knew during the campaign that some people were not there to win but to prevent the vote from taking place.
"The situation is under control," he added, expressing his "confidence" for a victory.
An Electoral Commission official told the AFP news agency that a dozen kiosks had been vandalized on the island of Anjouan. Witnesses testified that several stuffed urns were found and opposition badessors were prevented from performing their duties.
"Since my delegates have been prevented from entering the polls (…), I will never recognize the results," said Mahamoudou Ahamada, opposition party candidate Juwa, after having voted for Grande Comore.
The Supreme Court had banned some of Azali's main rivals, including former president Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, accused of corruption, from running for office.
Some 300,000 voters were expected. Polling stations will open at 08:00 (05:00 GMT).
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| A woman votes for the presidential election in a Mitsoudje polling station [Gianluigi Guercia/AFP] |
The vote comes after the Comorians voted in a referendum boycotted by the opposition to support the extension of presidential terms of office from five years to two, alternating between the three islands.
The opposition fears that Azali, a native of Great Comore and elected in 2016, retains power for another 10 years until 2029.
The referendum last July resulted in violent demonstrations in Anjouan that would have taken the presidency in 2021.
"I hope my choice will be respected," AFP Allaoui Elarif, 70, told AFP.
"I'm not expecting trouble, demonstrations here, it's after, at the election commission, where I'm afraid they're cheating."
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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