| 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) | 18 April 2004
25 April 2004 |
| Purpose of elections |
For the first time since Parliament was dissolved on 30 April 1999 following a coup-d'état
elections were held for all seats in the Federal Assembly. General elections had previously been held in December 1996. |
The parliamentary elections
held on 18 and 25 April 2004
were the last phase of the national reconciliation process intended
inter alias
to complete the country's transition to a federal democracy.
The archipelago had been witnessing tension since 1997
in a crisis caused by the drive for unilateral secession of two of the three islands
Moheli and Anjouan. In 2001
a new Constitution was adopted
which established the Comorian Union and granted considerable autonomy to three islands in an effort to keep the country as a single sovereign entity. Nevertheless
political chaos continued as there was a power struggle between the centralised presidency of the Comorian Union and the leadership of the three member islands.
On 14 April 2002
Colonel Assoumani Azali
who had seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999
was elected President of the Comoros in a poll
boycotted by the opposition.
On 20 December 2003 the Moroni Agreement was signed in a bid to end the political crisis. The agreement defined the powers of each authority and provided for the holding of fair parliamentary elections within 4 months from the signing of the agreement as well as a centralised customs and security regime
which should also give revenues and powers to the three island's authorities.
In March 2004
Comorians were called to vote in the elections for local assemblies on each of the three islands. In these elections
the Federal President's supporters ended up with just 10 seats out of a total of 55.
The federal parliamentary elections of 18 and 25 April were meant to fill 18 of the National Assembly's 33 seats. Officials said more than 65 per cent of the 225 000 registered voters went to the polls. The remaining 15 seats were nominated by the separate parliaments of the three islands.
In the first round of voting
on 18 April 2004
Mr Assoumani's party
the Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros
won two seats
while eight other seats were split among opposition parties
forming the Camp of the Autonomous Islands. No candidate won a majority in the race for the remaining eight seats and a runoff was scheduled for 25 April 2004. In this second round
the Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros obtained four seats
the other four going to the Camp of the Autonomous Islands. In sum
the results for the 18 contested seats in the Federal Assembly showed that President Azali Assoumani suffered a setback
as parties allied to the presidents of the three semi-autonomous islands
gained the majority of seats.
The first sitting of the Federal Assembly was scheduled for 27 May 2004 but postponed by President Azali Assoumani until June. The Federal Assembly's first task would be to draw up a basic law on issues left unresolved by the Constitution
including sharing public finances and the relative powers of the federal and island authorities. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 18 April 2004 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
225'000
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Round no 2 | 25 April 2004 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
225'000
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Camp of the Autonomous Islands (CdîA) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Round no 2
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Camp of the Autonomous Islands (CdîA) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Camp of the Autonomous Islands (CdîA) |
8
|
|
|
|
|
| Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) |
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
Round no 2
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) |
4
|
|
|
|
|
| Camp of the Autonomous Islands (CdîA) |
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 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 |
|
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
