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Moroni – Comorians overwhelmingly approve more than 92% of highly controversial constitutional reform that allows the president to seek a second consecutive term, according to official results of a referendum held on Monday and boycotted by the opposition .
" I give you the results at the national level Yes: 172,240, or 92.74% No: 13,338, or 7.26% ", announced the chairman of the commission, Ahmed Mohamed Djaza at a press conference in Moroni.
The participation in the referendum, organized in the small archipelago of the Indian Ocean with a turbulent political history, is 63.9%, he added.
The opposition, which ruled the referendum " illegal ", denounced a referendum made " tailor-made " for President Azali Assoumani, a former putschist elected in 2016 to the supreme function.
The reform approved Monday strengthens its powers, allowing him to seek two terms of five consecutive years, against only one currently ..
The reform also removes the three positions of Vice President and the Constitutional Court, higher court proceedings. It also makes Islam the " state religion " of this country of less than 800,000 inhabitants, 99% Muslim.
The opposition was not reachable immediately after the final announcement of the results, but during the day, while the " yes " was already largely in the lead, she had shouted at " faking ".
" What results! A rigged vote, prefabricated figures, here is the popular consultation of President Azali ", reacted the Secretary General of the Juwa party, Ahmed el-Barwane, questioned by AFP. A few minutes later, he was arrested by gendarmes while driving in Moroni, said his entourage.
The announcement of the results of the referendum did not provoke any reaction in the capital Moroni, who went about his usual business on Tuesday night.
The opposition, which denounces the " abuse of power " of Azali Assoumani for months (arrested opponents, leader under house arrest, Constitutional Court suspended), had decided not to campaign and called to boycott the poll.
In the many polling stations visited by AFP journalists on Monday, voters were scarce, often with less than a quarter of voters an hour before the end of the vote.
A statement shared by East African Force Watch observers (EASF).
" In most of the offices visited, there were fewer than 20 voters waiting, but when we went back an hour later, we suddenly noticed an influx of ballots in the ballot box ", told Jules Hoareau of the mission of EASF. " That does not make sense ," he added.
He also denounced the fact that " in all the offices visited " by the EASF, " party representatives were not allowed to sign the minutes ] ", which puts" in doubt the credibility of the electoral process ".
– No " apocalypse " –
Voting was generally calm. Only one serious incident was reported in Moroni, where ballot boxes were destroyed in two polling stations and one gendarme seriously injured.
" The apocalypse did not take place ," the state newspaper Al-Watan said in its editorial on Tuesday.
President Azali, 59, whose term expires in 2021, warned that in case of a victory of " yes, " early elections would be held in 2019.
Now that its reform has been adopted, it will be able, on condition of winning the elections, to remain in power until 2029.
The referendum modifies the frequency of the rotating presidency in force since 2001, which made it possible to stabilize the Comoros, theater of numerous coups and separatist crises since independence from France in 1975.
The Constitution established a presidency every five years between the three islands forming the Union of the Comoros (Grande Comore, Mohéli and Anjouan ).
At the end of his five-year term, the president could not run again immediately. He had to wait for it to be his island's turn to run for supreme office again. After the adoption of the referendum, this provision was dropped.
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