The Comoros is a volcanic archipelago found off the coast of East Africa between Mozambique and the island of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel. The Comoros capital city is Moroni which is located on the central-western coast of the largest island, Grande Comore.
The islands were first inhabited by Austronesian and Bantu speakers with Arab migration also coming to the islands. The islands were self-ruled with the largest island having a number of small autonomous kingdoms. The islands were heavily influence by the Sultanate of Oman.
The French would eventually arrive on the island of Mayotte which would be ceded to them and they would eventually gain the other islands into the French Colonial Empire by-way of sultans on the islands asking for French protection, one of which enabled a sultan on the largest island to rule all of that island, until their abdication in 1910. 2-years before that the islands, including Mayotte, had been unified under one administration under the authority of the French colonial governor-general of Madagascar, then in 1912 the protectorates and colony was abolished and brought in as a province of the colony of Madagascar.
After some time an agreement would be reached with France for independence, a referendum was held where three of the four islands voted to be independent, with Mayotte voting against and remaining under the rule of France, which was confirmed in a further referendum, although the Comoros still disputes and claims the island, calling its administration by France an “occupation”. They have gone as far as to include provisions to do with Mayotte in the nation’s constitution which will take effect as soon as Mayotte becomes officially under the Union of Comoros.
After the Comoros got independence it went through a major period of political instability and turmoil including a range of coups and leader assassinations. In 1997, the two smaller islands, Anjouan and Moheli attempted to declare independence from the Comoros in a bid to restore French rule, which France rejected and would lead to bloody clashes between federal troops and rebels. As the current President Azali at the time struggled to consolidate powers over the islands, eventually a deal was made to have Comoros become the Union of Comoros with more autonomy for each island and under a rotating-presidency union government.
In 2001 Colonel Mohammed Bacar seized control of the island of Anjouan as President and staged a vote to accept his leadership, which was rejected by Comoros and the African Union, leading to an invasion of the island by the Comoros and other forces under the African Union, leading to Bacar fleeing to the French and where he was eventually expelled to Benin, at the anger of the Comoros government.
The country’s official languages are French, Arabic and Comorian (which is a group of four Bantu languages spoken on the islands). The largest ethnic group is Afro-Arab and the largest religion is Sunni Islam. The country’s currency is the Comorian franc. The country’s population is estimated to reach 846,281 by July 2020.
Government Type
The islands are a federal presidential republic which allows each island to have a degree of autonomy including their own legislative assemblies and government led by an elected Governor, while being overlooked by a union government with a rotating-presidency (rotates through the three-islands, although a President on the same island can be elected a 2nd time), each island must still follow the country’s constitution and not come into conflict with federal legislation and power. Multiple parties are allowed.
Local island government has exclusive power over economic planning; social development; development of island territory; acquisition of assets for island needs; tourism promotion, environment and the islands historic patrimony; traditional fishing; agriculture and animal husbandry, excluding policies and research; road maintenance and fairs and markets.
Along with consultation of the union government, the island governments can act on matters such as administration of Local Collectives; management of pre-school, primary and secondary teaching establishments and personnel; basic local professional training; study grant allocations and the construction, equipping, maintenance and management of the establishments and personnel of basic health.
Executive Government
The union President is both Head of State and Head of the Federal/Union Government. In such a capacity the union President as Head of State represents the islands nation abroad through diplomatic and foreign affairs. The President appoints and accredits ambassadors and envoys. The President negotiates and ratifies treaties.
The President is also Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces. The President appoints the civil and military positions. The President is responsible for foreign defense.
The President has the power to pardon from crime.
As Head of Union Government the President appoints ministers to the Council of Ministers and other members of the Government, able to appoint a maximum of fifteen.
The President promulgates laws passed by the union’s unicameral parliament, but the President can choose to return a law bill back that they do not agree with or think should be changed in-whole or in-part. If passed by an absolute majority with no changes the President must promulgate it.
Under extraordinary circumstances and with consultation of the Council of Ministers, President of the Assembly of the Union and of the Supreme Court, the President can be granted exceptional emergency powers to deal with the situation. The Assembly of the Union (union’s legislative assembly) can terminate these emergency powers by a two-third vote. The President is unable to dissolve the parliament during the usage of emergency powers.
If the President position becomes vacant or who was holding the position has a permanent impairment preventing them from carrying out their duty within 900 days of investiture of the President’s mandate, as declared by the Supreme Court, the Government will appoint a Minister or other member of Government as Prime Minister, serving as an interim leader until a new President is elected. The interim position has limited powers.
If the vacancy/permanent impairment happens after the 900-day period then the Governor of the island that the President was elected from will carry out the presidency for the remainder of the mandate. The duties of the said Governor will be fulfilled by the Secretary-General of the Governorship.
The constitution says that the President is the guarantor of judicial independence and is assisted by the Superior Council of the Magistrate, but it does not clearly state how the judges are chosen and that an institutional act decides on this. It does say that judges are irremovable. The composition of the Superior Council of the Magistrate is also not clearly presented.
The President can be charged for High Treason with a trial held by the Supreme Court but again such composition is decided by an Institutional Act or Organic law and not clearly stated. How the President can be charged for high treason is also not clearly stated.
Legislative Government
The Assembly of the Union is the unicameral chamber of legislative government for the Union of the Comoros, introducing laws, debating them, amending them and passing them. An extraordinary session of the parliament can be called by the President or by absolute majority of members, on a particular subject of great importance. The Government and members can both introduce bills, although member bills must be reviewed by the government before introduction.
Bills receive a 1st Reading by commissions set up by agreed upon internal regulations of the assembly.
Organic and finance laws require a two-third vote to pass. If a finance bill has not been passed within sixty days then the provisions of the bill may be brought into force by decree of the President. On the passing of Organic Laws, the Supreme Court will make a decision if they conform with the country’s constitution.
The Assembly of the Union currently has 33-members a part of it. Members will elect the President of the Assembly of the Union for the duration of the Assembly’s tenure. The President of the Assembly moderates debate and makes sure that Assembly rules are followed. The President of the Assembly can be challenged by members through a motion of disapproval. It requires the signing of at least half of the members composing the Assembly and requires a two-third vote to pass, another motion cannot be brought for a year following.
Electoral System
A Presidential election happens every 5-years and rotates between the three islands, with each incumbent able to be re-elected one time on the same island before it rotates. The election uses a two-round system where a candidate requires an absolute majority in the first round to win outright, otherwise a 2nd round is held between the top two candidates which is won by simple majority.
Presidential candidates must be a Comorian citizen from birth on the island that the rotation falls on. They must have the status of elector and be at least 35-years or older and must have been living on the island for at least 12-months prior to the election. A Comorian on an island where the rotation falls although not having been born on that island can still run for president there if they have lived there for at least 10-years.
Parliamentary elections happen every 5-years to elect the 33-members of the Assembly of the Union. 24 of these members are elected from single-seat constituencies using a two-round system where a candidate requires an absolute majority to win in the first round, otherwise a second round is held between the top two, won by simple majority. The other 9-members are elected by the islands legislative assemblies, three per island.
To vote in elections one must be a citizen of Comoros and be at least 18-years-old. Voting is not mandatory.
Source
My source was from the 2018 revision of the country’s constitution compiled by constitute.org, but of which is limited and not extensive and so required some further research from the previous revision (2001 through 2009). Further information from CIA World Factbook Comoros entry. I strongly suggest those using this seriously to cross-research as I found that the constitution lacked sufficient information and so this may not be as complete as I would have liked, although it is the best I could get it. As well as that there is a chance I mis-interpreted some things. And of course, the constitution can be further changed.
Constitutional change can be requested by the President or by at least one-third of the members of the Assembly of the Union. The amendment/revision/change must be adopted by at least three-quarters of the total number of members of the Assembly of the Union or by National Referendum.
Next up will be the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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