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Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union More photos  >>> Structure of parliament Unicameral Affiliation to the IPU No Affiliation date(s) 1979 - 1988 1994 - 1997 2008 - 2011 LEADERSHIP President Bourhane Hamidou (M)  Notes Elected on 14 Jan. 2010. Secretary General Issa Mohadji (a.i.) (M)  COMPOSITION Members (statutory / current number) 33 / 33 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN More statistics  >>> Women (current number) 1 (3.03%) Mode of designation directly elected 24 indirectly elected 9 Notes Indirectly elected members: elected by the assemblies of the three islands of the Union (3 members each). Term 5 years Last renewal dates 6 December 2009 20 December 2009 (View details) CONTACT INFORMATION Address Assemblée de l'Union B.P. 447 MORONI (Export mailing lists) Phone (269) 773 90 39 Fax (269) 773 47 43 E-mail assemblee.union@comorestelecom.km Website http://www.auc.km/

Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union Structure of parliament Unicameral LEGAL FRAMEWORK Electoral law 16 October 2005 Last modified on 19 September 2009 (Ordinance No. 09-006/PR) Mode of designation directly elected 24 indirectly elected 9 Constituencies - 24 single-seat constituencies. - The remaining nine members are indirectly elected by the assemblies of the three islands (three each). Voting system Majority: Majority vote in two rounds (for the 24 directly elected members). In the first round, candidates who obtain an absolute majority are declared elected. In the run-off elections, a simple majority suffices. Vacancies of titular members shall be filled by their substitutes. There are no substitutes for the nine indirectly elected members. Voting is not compulsory. Voter requirements - Comoran nationality - age: at least 18 years old by 1 January of the election year - registration on the voters' list - residence in the country for at least six months prior to the elections. - Persons enjoying civil rights CANDIDATES Eligibility - Qualified voters - Comoran nationality - age: at least 18 years old - residence in Comoros for at least six months prior to the elections. Ineligibilities: - Persons deprived of civil rights under the law - Persons definitively barred from registering on the voters' list due to criminal charges or prison sentences - Persons temporarily barred from registering unless a certain period passes after the end of the ban (twice more than the period they were barred from registering). - Auditors general who relinquished their post within the three years prior to elections - Persons exercising the following profession who relinquished the post within the six months prior to elections: judges, commanders of the armed forces, youth and sports supervisors, primary and secondary school and technical institute supervisors, director of the tax and customs office, labour inspectors, police officers, Comorians serving as civil servants of a foreign country. Incompatibilities - substitute members of the deputies - President of the Republic - members of the government - members of other advisory organs stipulated in the Constitution - judges - municipal councillors - civil servants of a foreign State - international civil servants - employees of the national enterprises - head of enterprises receiving subsidies from the State - Chairman and members of the Board of Directors of State-owned companies Candidacy requirements - deposit of 500,000 Comoran francs (about 1,500 Euros), reimbursable to candidates who obtain at least 10 per cent of the votes.

Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union Structure of parliament Unicameral BACKGROUND Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) 6 December 2009 20 December 2009 Timing and scope of renewal Elections were held for all directly elected seats in the Assembly of the Union. The December 2009 elections were the first to be held after the 9 May 2009 constitutional referendum. In the previous elections, held in April 2004, President Assoumani Azali's Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) lost to the opposition coalition, the Camp of the Autonomous Islands (CdîA). The former won six and the latter 12 of the 18 directly elected seats in the 33-member Assembly of the Union. Colonel Azali, who had seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, had been elected as President in April 2002 in elections boycotted by the opposition parties. Since gaining independence from France in 1975, Comoros has witnessed over 20 coup attempts. In May 2006, religious leader Ahmed Abdallah Sambi was elected President; he pledged to defend Islam and fight terrorism and organized crime. On 11 February 2009, President Sambi called a constitutional referendum for 22 March. The referendum was subsequently postponed to 17 May owing to opposition protests. In the referendum, 93.8 per cent of voters approved the amendments extending the term of the Federal President from four to five years, downgrading the presidents of the three constituent islands to governor, and authorizing the Federal President to dissolve the Assembly of the Union, 24 members of which will henceforth be directly elected. President Sambi, whose term was due to end in May 2010, will remain in power until 2011. The mandate of the outgoing members of the Assembly of the Union expired in April 2009. The President therefore governed by decree until the elections in December. Many outgoing members, including Speaker Saïd Dhoifir Bounou, retired prior to the elections, in which 144 candidates ran. Candidates from a coalition of pro-presidential parties urged voters to support them in order to stabilize the country. They argued that the President would need the support of the new legislature to continue reforms for further development and that implementation would require experience in politics, which they had gained in the outgoing legislature. They pledged to fight social injustice. Some candidates also called for State control of dairy prices so as to help the poor. In September, an opposition party, the National Alliance for the Comoros (ANC), was launched under the leadership of Mr. Mahamoudou Ali Mohamed. Many opposition parties joined a coalition, the May 2010 Convergence, which advocated that the presidency rotate to the island of Mohéli in May 2010 as required by the Constitution prior to the 2009 amendments. The main forces in the Convergence included the CRC and the ANC. The CRC pledged to establish autonomous universities and an independent judiciary. The ANC pledged to create jobs for young people, help farmers and fishermen and revive the country's economy. It also promised to give more power to women: 12 of its 43 candidates were women. The ANC criticized the President for not respecting democracy or the Constitution by attempting to extend the presidential term. Lack of unity was reported among both pro-presidential and anti-presidential camps. Consequently, there were several candidates from each camp in most single-member constituencies. The Director General of the Customs Office, who is reportedly close to President Sambi, also backed several independent candidates. The opposition was said to be weakened by a funding shortfall. The first round of voting was held on 6 December. The election commission did not publish turnout figures at the national level. They varied from 40 to 78 per cent according to the constituencies. Logistical problems caused several polling stations to open late, but no major incidents were reported. Three pro-presidential candidates were declared elected in the first round. Opposition parties claimed election fraud, citing irregularities in the electoral roll. The Election Commission dismissed the allegations for lack of proof. Run-off elections were held on 20 December. The Constitutional Court invalidated the results for three constituencies, where elections were repeated on 30 December. An additional 16 pro-presidential candidates were declared elected. The pro-presidential camp thus increased its tally to 19. The opposition took four seats while the remaining seat went to an independent. African Union observers declared that the atmosphere had been calm and praised the assistance provided to disabled voters. However, they noted delays in opening some polling stations and deplored the low turnout rate. On 13 January 2010, the newly elected Assembly of the Union held its first session. The following day, it elected former interior minister, Mr. Bourhane Hamidou, as its new Speaker. STATISTICS Voter turnout Round no 1 6 December 2009 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes 363'967 Notes Round no 2 (from/to) 20 December 2009 30 December 2009 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes Notes Distribution of votes Round no 1 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes Pro-presidential candidates Opposition candidates Independents Round no 2 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes Pro-presidential candidates Opposition candidates Independents Distribution of seats Round no 1 Political Group Total of seats Grand total Pro-presidential candidates 3 Opposition candidates 0 Independents 0 Round no 2 Political Group Total of seats Grand total Pro-presidential candidates 16 19 Opposition candidates 4 4 Independents 1 1 Distribution of seats according to sex Men Women Percent of women 32 1 3.03% Distribution of seats according to age Distribution of seats according to profession Comments Source: Assembly of the Union (28.12.2009, 29.12.2009, 17.01.2010, 01.01.2010; 16.03.2010)

Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union Structure of parliament Unicameral APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE Title Speaker of the Assembly of the Union Term - duration: 5 years (the same as the legislature) - reasons for interruption of term: resignation, vote of non-confidence when requested, death, dissolution of the Assembly Appointment - elected by all members of the Assembly - the election is held at the latest three days after the opening of the legislature's first sitting Eligibility - any member may be a candidate - candidatures are filed at the opening of the first sitting Voting system - formal vote by secret ballot - absolute majority at the first round, relative majority at the second round - if no candidate wins an absolute majority at the first round, the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes face off at a second round held the next day; the candidate winning the most votes is declared elected Procedures / results - the oldest member presides over the Assembly during the vote - the two youngest members act as tellers - the oldest member immediately announces the result - any challenges are raised, discussed and settled immediately STATUS Status - 2nd-highest ranking person in the State - in the event of a vacancy, is replaced by one of the Deputy Speakers Board - the Assembly Board is governed by the Standing Orders - it is made up of the Speaker, three Deputy Speakers, three questors and five secretaries - all Board members except the Speaker of the Assembly are elected for one year - it meets every Monday and may be convened in extraordinary session on the initiative of its members - is a collegial body Material facilities - basic allowance of KMF 375,333 + special allowance of KMF 131,750 - housing allowance of KMF 375,000 FUNCTIONS Organization of parliamentary business - convenes sessions - establishes and modifies the agenda as agreed with the Conference of Presidents and the Government - organizes the deliberations and decides on the time allocated to each speaker - examines the admissibility of draft legislation and amendments - refers texts to a committee with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents and the Government - examines the admissibility of requests for the establishment of committees and/or commissions of inquiry, proposes or decides on the establishment of such committees/commissions with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents and the Government Chairing of public sittings - opens, adjourns and closes sittings - ensures respect for the provisions of the Constitution and the Standing Orders - reads out announcements relating to the Assembly - is in charge of parliamentary discipline; as such, can decide on and lift disciplinary measures - grants and withdraws the right to speak - draws up the order in which amendments are called - calls for the vote, determines the voting procedure, verifies voting operations and annuls the vote in the event of irregularities - verifies the quorum - authenticates the texts adopted and the records of sittings - interprets the Standing Orders and other rules governing the Assembly - has discretionary authority to grant the right to speak on a matter not on the agenda and thus to organize impromptu debates Special powers - delivers an opinion on the Assembly's draft budget before it is submitted to the Finance Committee - appoints the Secretary General on the Board's proposal - oversees the Assembly's services - delivers an opinion, in application of Article 50 of the Constitution, on the deployment of the armed forces - is in charge of relations with foreign parliaments - is in charge of security and, as such, may call on the forces of law and order in the event of a disturbance within the Assembly Speaking and voting rights, other functions - takes the floor during legislative deliberations - issues guidance for interpreting or completing the text being discussed - takes part in the vote - proposes laws or amendments - acts in procedures of parliamentary oversight

This page was last updated on 21 October 2011
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