Comoros' Assoumani Wins Second Term in Disputed Election

(Bloomberg) -- Comoros’ Azali Assoumani won a second consecutive presidential term in a vote that was marred by alleged violence, assaults on candidates and the arrest of opposition supporters.

Assoumani won 61 percent of the vote, giving him outright victory in the March 24 poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s chairman, Ahmed Mohamed Djaza, told reporters in the National Assembly on Tuesday. The participation rate was 54 percent, he said.

The election has been marred by controversy after Assoumani last year changed the constitution to enable him to rule until 2029 if he wins the ballot. The Supreme Court last month blocked the main opposition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Soule, and at least six others from taking part in the poll.

Read more: Comoros opposition demands new vote, alleging electoral robbery

Assoumani, 60, earlier won a disputed referendum allowing him to change the constitution, extending presidential term limits and modifying the system of rotating power among the archipelago’s three main islands to 10 years instead of five.

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.