Comoros Tourism

---

The Union of Comoros is ruled by President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi. Comoros has been plagued by political instability and civil strife following numerous coups and secession attempts since independence from France in 1975. Former President Azali seized power in a bloodless coup in April 1999, overthrowing interim President Tadijiddine Ben Said Massounde, who himself had held the office since the death of democratically elected President Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim in November 1998. In May 1999, Azali decreed a constitution that gave him both executive and legislative powers. When Azali took power he had pledged to step down in 2000 and relinquish control to a democratically elected president. Instead, in 2001, Azali resigned from the military and ran as a civilian candidate for the national presidency. He was elected in 2002 in flawed but fair elections.

On May 26, 2006, following a two-stage electoral process that was generally free and fair, Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi was installed as the new President of the Union of the Comoros. The inauguration of President Sambi in June 2006 marked the first democratic transition of power in Comoran history. In June 2007, individual island elections on Grande Comore and Moheli were held on schedule and judged to have been free and fair. On the Anjouan, however, island president Bacar refused to allow an impartial process and instead held a sham election in which he won 90% of the vote. The African Union (AU) has stepped in to assist in resolving the political crisis, including applying sanctions and a naval blockade on Anjouan, but the situation remains at an impasse.

---

Comoros Tourism