President Azali Assoumani of Comoros won the January 16, 2024, elections with 62.97% of the votes, according to official results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The election was marked by opposition claims of low voter turnout and alleged irregularities.

The official voter turnout was unexpectedly low at 16.3%, with only 55,259 out of 189,000 registered voters participating in the presidential election. The opposition’s denouncement of the election results led to protests, during which security forces clashed with demonstrators in several parts of the capital, Moroni. The protests resulted in the burning of a former minister’s house and the blocking of roads.

President Assoumani, a former coup leader who first came to power in 1999, has been a controversial figure in this Indian Ocean island’s political landscape. He extended his time in office through a constitutional referendum in 2018, which has enabled him to run for a fourth term in 2024. The opposition, led by Mouigni Baraka had denounced the election as fraudulent and accused the president of ballot rigging and low voter turnout.