Anjouan presidential election, 2008
Encyclopedia
A presidential election was held in Anjouan
Anjouan
Anjouan is an autonomous island, part of the Union of Comoros. The island is located in the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Mutsamudu and its population as of 2006 is about 277,500. The total area of the island is 424 sq. kilometers Anjouan (also known as Ndzuwani or Nzwani) is an autonomous island,...

 on 15 June and 29 June 2008 following the 2008 invasion of Anjouan
2008 invasion of Anjouan
The invasion of Anjouan , on March 25, 2008, was an amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union forces, including troops from Sudan, Tanzania, Senegal, along with logistical support from Libya and France...

 to oust Mohamed Bacar
Mohamed Bacar
Colonel Mohamed Bacar was President of Anjouan, one of the three autonomous islands that make up the Union of the Comoros, from 2001 to 2008. He is a former chief of police on Anjouan and has studied extensively in France and the United States. He was part of a military coup on Anjouan in August...

 as President of Anjouan
President of Anjouan
The President of Anjouan is the head of Anjouan, one of the three islands of the Union of Comoros. The position was firstly established in 1997 after the Declaration of independence of Anjouan...

. The election was won by Moussa Toybou
Moussa Toybou
Moussa Toybou is the President of the autonomous island of Anjouan in the Union of the Comoros. Toybou won the June 2008 Anjouan presidential election, which was held to replace Mohamed Bacar following the March 2008 invasion of Anjouan...

, who defeated Mohamed Djaanfari
Mohamed Djaanfari
Mohamed Djaanfari is a politician in The Comoros. He is a retired French air force officer, local transportation tycoon and Vice-President of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros. He contested the 2006 presidential elections and ended up losing badly to Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi...

 in the second round.

About 128,000 people were eligible to vote, and there were 240 polling stations. Five candidates were qualified to contest the election: Bacar Abdou (deputy for Mutsamudu
Mutsamudu
Mutsamudu is the second largest city in the Comoros, founded in 1482. It is also the capital and largest city on the island of Anjouan as well the former home of the current Comoron Union president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi...

), Bastoine Soulaimane (a judge and former president of the Anjouan Court of Appeal), Mohamed Djaanfari (former vice-president of the Assembly of the Union of the Comoros
Assembly of the Union of the Comoros
The unicameral Assembly of the Union of the Comoros is the country's legislative body.The current Assembly of the Union, formed following elections held on 18 and 25 April 2004, has a total of 33 members. 18 member are directly elected in single member constituencies using the two-round system...

), Moussa Toybou (a former minister in Said Mohamed Djohar
Said Mohamed Djohar
Said Mohammed Djohar was a Comorian politician who served as President of the Comoros during the 1990s.-Climb to power:...

's government) and Soundi Abdoulatuf (a French military veteran). These candidates were approved by the Constitutional Court on May 20.

Voting for the first round on 15 June, although scheduled to begin at 7am, was delayed by an hour in the main cities, Mutsamudu and Domoni
Domoni
Domoni is the second largest city on the Comorian island of Anjouan, located on the east coast of the island.- History :...

, due to the late arrival of ballot papers or electoral officials. First round turnout was placed at 42.79%.

Djaanfari (with 42.3%) and Toybou (with 42.5%) advanced to the second round on 29 June 2008, separated by only 88 votes. The other three candidates received between 5.8% and 4.6%.

Toybou was considered a newcomer to politics. He said that he knew "the mechanisms to lift Anjouan out of under-development", and he supported allowing some of those who served under Bacar to remain in administrative roles due to their experience and the need for reconciliation. He also enjoyed the support of President of Comoros Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, while Djaanfari was better known to the local population due to his prior political work.

Campaigning for the second round began on June 21. Toybou won the run-off with 52.37% to Djaanfari's 47.63%, with a turnout of 48.98%; the results had to be validated by the Constitutional Court within three days. Djaanfari contested the result. Turnout in the second round was reportedly higher than in the first one.

The final official result, as confirmed by the Constitutional Court on 3 July 2008, was:
  • Toybou – 52.42%, 30,941 votes
  • Djaanfari – 47.58%, 28,084 votes


Toybou was to be sworn in on 5 July 2008.
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