(Bloomberg) -- Comoros police briefly detained two opposition presidential candidates after clashes between security forces and anti-government activists over a disputed election.
Opposition supporters allege the authorities rigged Sunday's vote to ensure former President Azali Assoumani, who has predicted he'll win in the first round, secures another term. The Supreme Court last month blocked the main opposition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Soule, and at least six others from taking part in the poll.
At least 12 people were injured in clashes in the capital, Moroni, on Monday as anti-government demonstrators gathered in the city, said Djabir Ibrahim, head of emergency services at El-Maarouf Hospital. The security forces maintained a visible presence on the streets of the city as they detained candidates Achmet Said Mohamed and Soilihi Mohamed.
“We have been arrested, Achmet Said Mohamed and myself, and brought to the police station,” Soilihi Mohamed, a former chief of staff in the Comoros army, said by phone. “We were released after an hour.”
A country of about 820,000 people, Comoros has had more than 20 coups or attempts at seizing power since it gained independence from France in 1975. The Indian Ocean archipelago is one of the world's biggest producers of ylang ylang, an essence used in perfumes, which together with cloves and vanilla account for more than 70 percent of its exports.
The violence hindered observers to make an assessment on the transparency and credibility of the vote, a delegation from the African Union and two other missions said in a joint statement on Monday.
Home Affairs Minister Mohamed Daoudou on Sunday denied there had been any voting irregularities.
To contact the reporters on this story: Faiza Soule Youssouf in Moroni at fsouleyousso@bloomberg.net;Kamlesh Bhuckory in Port Louis at kbhuckory1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, Paul Richardson, Pauline Bax
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