The President of the Comoros, Assoumani, awarded his son a position in the government

Azali Assoumani, the President of the Comoros, has appointed his son, Nour El Fath, to oversee government affairs as part of a cabinet reorganization that followed a contentious January election that his opponents claimed was characterized by voter fraud.

After the election body declared Assoumani re-elected to his fourth five-year term, violent protests ensued in the country, a group of three islands off the coast of Mozambique, resulting in the deaths of one individual and at least 25 injuries.

According to political analysts, opposition leaders, and local media, Assoumani appeared to be preparing to replace him with El Fath, a 40-year-old with a financial background who has served as the president’s senior economic adviser since 2019.

Late on Monday, Assoumani introduced his cabinet. He reappointed Youssoufa Mohamed Ali as defense minister, appointed Said Omar Houmadi as justice minister, and appointed Ibrahim Mohamed Abdou Razakou as finance minister.

According to Mohamed Jaffar Abbas, the leader of the coalition of opposition parties, it was evident that Assoumani was “attempting to establish a dynasty.”

“(Assoumani) speaks of renewal, but let’s not forget that before his son, it was his nephew who occupied the same position of secretary general of the government,” according to him.

Since achieving independence from France in 1975, the Comoros, which has a population of approximately 800,000, has been the site of approximately 20 coups or attempted coups. Additionally, it is a significant contributor to irregular migration to the adjacent French island of Mayotte.

In 2018, constitutional reforms were implemented that increased the frequency of the presidency’s rotation among the three primary islands of Comoros from five to ten years.

El Fath would be ineligible to succeed his father at the conclusion of the 2029 presidential term unless the constitution were again amended.