/ 2 April 2008

Comoros’ Anjouan expects poll within three months

Comoros' Anjouan island expects to organise democratic elections within three months, its interim leader said on Wednesday, a week after his predecessor was ousted in an African Union-backed offensive. Former president of Anjouan's appeals court, Lailizamane Abdou Cheik, was sworn in as the tiny, wooded island's interim leader on Monday to replace Mohamed Bacar.

Comoros’ Anjouan island expects to organise democratic elections within three months, its interim leader said on Wednesday, a week after his predecessor was ousted in an African Union-backed offensive.

Former president of Anjouan’s appeals court, Lailizamane Abdou Cheik, was sworn in as the tiny, wooded island’s interim leader on Monday to replace Mohamed Bacar.

Bacar, a French-trained former gendarme, seized power in 2001 and clung on after an illegal election last year before being toppled by troops from the Comoros and the AU.

”Our main mission is to manage to organise presidential elections on the island in a manner that is free and transparent,” Cheik said by telephone.

”We have a deadline of three months,” he added.

With its history of assassinations, mercenary invasions and 20 or so coups and attempted rebellions since independence from France in 1975, Comoros is still struggling to establish political instability.

The spice and perfume-producing Indian Ocean archipelago is one of the world’s most indebted nations, with most of its 700 000 people living on less than $1 a day.

In recent months, however, Comoros has received investment pledges worth tens of millions of dollars from investors in Kuwait and Dubai.

Lying off East Africa, the islands — which grow ylang-ylang, vanilla and cloves — were first settled by Arab seafarers 1 000 years ago, then later became a pirate haven. – Reuters