Was it a slip of the tongue or a genuine declaration of intent? Comorian President Azali Assoumani backtracked after stating that he intended to hand over the presidency of Comoros and the ruling party to his son, Nour el-Fath Azali, the current Secretary-General of the Comorian government.
On Thursday, during a speech to his supporters on the island of Mohéli, Azali Assoumani declared: “I will place my son to succeed me as the head of the state and the party.”
However, in a statement published on his Facebook page Friday evening, the President's office clarified that this did not mean he intended to transfer power to his son, Nour el-Fath, once he leaves office in 2029.
“The government wishes to emphasize that at no point did President Azali mention a potential succession of his son, Nour el-Fath, to the presidency,” the statement read.
“He instead referred to a 'child' succeeding him, noting that it is common in Comoros to refer to any citizen as a 'child,' without necessarily implying one's own offspring.”
The statement also highlighted that the President had previously dismissed the idea of a “family succession” and reiterated that his successor would need to come from Anjouan, one of the three main islands of Comoros.
According to the Comorian Constitution, the presidency rotates among the three islands every ten years.
This would render Nour el-Fath ineligible to succeed his father at the end of the presidential term in 2029 unless the Constitution is amended.
With Agencies
