'Ayatollah' of Comoros takes helm of coup-plagued isles
Islamic leader Ahmed Abdallah Sambi took the reins of the coup-plagued Comoros islands and dismissed fears his election as president this month would boost a rise of Muslim extremism.
Sambi, a moderate cleric known locally as "the Ayatollah," was inaugurated at a ceremony here marking his overwhelming victory in the volatile Indian Ocean archipelago's May 14 polls.
In first address as president, Sambi swore to "respect the commitments of the Union of Comoros" and rejected assertions from critics he could turn the overwhelmingly Muslim islands into a hotbed for radical Islam.
"If being an Islamist means conforming to the moral and intellectual values of our country, then I am an Islamist," he said. "If being an Islamist means showing compassion to the less fortunate, then I am an Islamist."
"Being a good Muslim is not synonymous with being an Islamist and fundamentalism," he told a crowd of nearly 10,000 people who turned up for the ceremony at the presidential palace.
The 48-year-old Sambi trounced his two rivals in the race to succeed president Azali Assoumani, who had been barred from standing for re-election under a 2001 power-sharing constitution that calls for the presidency to rotate between the Comoros' three islands: Grand Comore, Anjouan and Moheli.
It is hoped the election will bring stability to the volatile islands, which have been wracked by political chaos, including nearly 20 coup attempts and a secession crisis, over the past three decades.
The polls were closely monitored by the African Union and other observers who hailed the process for its peaceful conduct and relatively large voter turnout.
During an informal handover session late Thursday, Azali pledged to respect the constitution by not seeking to remain in office and called on Sambi to follow suit.
"There should be no worries about me," Azali said after the talks. "The question will be to see what President Sambi will do on May 26, 2010."
Under the rotation system, Moheli, the smallest island in the chain located between Mozambique and Madagascar, will hold the presidency after the 2010 elections.
The power-sharing constitution was adopted in 2001 in a bid to put an end to near constant cycles of insecurity that have shaken the country since it won independence from France in 1975.
In the ensuing 31 years, the Comoros has suffered 19 coup attempts, of which four were successful, including Azali's own power grab in 1999.
The years of political upheaval have ruined the country's economy and undermined development, consigning nearly half of its 600,000 people to lives of abject poverty.
The archipelago has virtually no industry, a non-commercial fishing fleet and a youth unemployment rate of 53 percent, and the election is seen as restoring the confidence of foreign investors and donors.
Last year, the main donors to the Comoros agreed to a 200-million-dollar (170-million-euro) aid package to help spur reconciliation and development.
Authorities are also hoping the elections will boost its bid to have international lenders write off its 264-million-dollar (208-million-euro) external debt that represents a vast 71 percent of Gross National Product
AFP
