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Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros
conventional short form: Comoros
local long form: Republique Federale Islamique des Comores
local short form: Comores
Data code: CN
Government type: independent republic
Capital: Moroni
Administrative divisions: three
islands; Grande Comore (Njazidja), Anjouan (Nzwani), and Moheli
(Mwali)
note: there are also four municipalities named Domoni, Fomboni,
Moroni, and Moutsamoudou
Independence: 6 July 1975 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1975)
Constitution: 20 October 1996
Legal system: French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Interim President TADJIDDINE Ben Said Massounde
(since 6 November 1998); note—President Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim
died in office 6 November 1998 and was succeeded by Interim President
MASSOUNDE
head of government: Prime Minister Abbas DJOUSSOUF (since 22 November
1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term;
election last held 16 March 1996 (next to be held NA); prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim elected president; percent
of vote—64%
note: the Comoran constitution stipulates that upon the death
of the president, a new president is to be elected within 90 days;
however, Interim President TADJIDDINE has stated that a new election
cannot be held until Anjouan is reunited with the rest of the
country
Legislative branch: bicameral
legislature consists of the Senate (15 seats; members selected
by regional councils for six-year terms) and a Federal Assembly
or Assemblee Federale (43 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: Federal Assembly—last held 1 and 8 December 1996
(next to be held NA)
election results: Federal Assembly—percent of vote by party—NA;
seats by party—RND 39, RND candidate running as independent
1, FNJ 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supremes, two members are appointed by the president, two members are elected by the Federal Assembly, one by the Council of each island, and former presidents of the republic
Political parties and leaders:
Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND, party of the
government [leader NA]; Front National pour la Justice or FNJ,
Islamic party in opposition [leader NA]
note: under a new constitution ratified in October 1996, a two-party
system was established; former President Mohamed TAKI Abdulkarim
called for all parties to dissolve and join him in creating the
RND; the constitution stipulates that only parties that win six
seats in the Federal Assembly (two from each island) are permitted
to be in opposition, but if no party accomplishes that the second
most successful party will be in opposition; in the elections
of December 1996 the FNJ appeared to qualify as opposition
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, CCC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in
the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Ahmed DJABIR (ambassador
to the US and Canada and permanent representative to the UN)
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of the Federal
and Islamic Republic of the Comoros to the United Nations, 336
East 45th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 349-2030
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Comoros
Flag description: green with
a white crescent in the center of the field, its points facing
downward; there are four white five-pointed stars placed in a
line between the points of the crescent; the crescent, stars,
and color green are traditional symbols of Islam; the four stars
represent the four main islands of the archipelago—Mwali,
Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mayotte (a territorial collectivity of France,
but claimed by Comoros); the design, the most recent of several,
is described in the constitution approved by referendum on 7 June
1992