A former military officer whose opponents accuse him of muzzling dissent in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. Nearly 340,000 people are eligible to vote in the country of fewer than one million people. Other opposition leaders have called for a boycott, accusing the electoral commission of favouring the ruling party. The electoral commission has denied this and said the election will be transparent. Regional observer missions, including from the African Union, said the last election in 2019 was riddled with irregularities and lacked credibility. The Comoros Islands – Anjouan, Grande Comore, and Moheli – have endured years of grinding poverty and political turmoil, including about 20 coups or attempted coups, since independence from France in 1975.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA