Comoros Island Gets New President

By The Media Line Staff

The Anjouan island in the Comoros has elected a new president, after the previous leader was ousted from power four months ago.

Mousa Toybou won 52 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections in Anjouan.

His rival, Muhammad Ja'afri, won 47% of the vote, according to the final results announced by the Comoros' constitutional court.

Anjouan's renegade president, Muhammad Bacar, refused to step down from power in 2007 and held an election that was declared illegal by the central government.

He controlled the island as a breakaway province until international forces invaded earlier this year and ousted him.

The Comoros, a member of the Arab League located in the Indian Ocean, is comprised of four islands, although one, Mayotte, is a separate entity loyal to France.

The three remaining islands have a long history of disputes over power sharing. There have been 20 successful and attempted coups since the three islands gained independence from France in 1975.

The islands have a combined population of 700,000, the vast majority of whom are Sunni Muslim.

Observers hope a year of political turmoil will now make way to calm and development.

The turnout in Sunday's election was 49%. International observers said they were free, fair and transparent.

The political structure allows for a semi-autonomous government and president for each island, and a rotating presidency over the central government.

Meanwhile, Bacar is in French military custody in France's Indian Ocean island Reunion.

He is facing accusations of forcefully seizing power and perpetrating war crimes, including torture and rape.

The central government wants Bacar to be taken to court and held accountable for his actions.

The elected president, Toybou, a public works engineer, is virtually unknown on the political scene. He held a ministerial position for a short time in a previous government, and is backed by President Ahmad 'Abdallah Sambi, who presides over all the islands.

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com

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