User:Julio Argueta/sandbox

The Union of the Comoros, known as the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros until 2003, is ruled by Ahmed Abdallah Sambi. The political situation in Comoros has been extremely fluid since the country's independence from the French in 1975, subject to the volatility of coups and political insurrection. Despite French colonization, Comorans identify first with kinship or regional ties and rarely ever with the central government. This is a lingering effect of the sovereign sultanates of pre-colonial times. Prince Said Ibrahim took power in 1970 but was democratically elected out of office in 1972 in favor of former French senator Ahmed Abdallah. Abdallah signed a joint declaration of independence with the French government in 1973 which led to a referendum in 1974 and a declaration of independence in 1975 that was supported by all of parliament except members of Mayotte. In 1975 Ali Solihi ousted Ahmed Abdallah from power through a coup but failed to receive the support of Mayotte's residents who were advocating for federalism in order to manage their own affairs. In 1978, Abdallah resumed power and established a federal constitution. Up until his assassination in 1989, economic inequalities among the islands worsened, leading to separatist movements. These separatist movements were growing when Said Mohamed Djohar was elected president. Political pressure resulted in the first national conference to construct a constitution. The Comoros Islands have experienced five different constitutions.

First Constitution: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, 1978-1989

 * No parliamentary or popular participation
 * Intended to provide unity and promote economic growth.
 * Islands were known as governorates, independent entities with Island Council's and elected governor's that served four year terms, appointed commissioners, and handled the financial and social matters of the island.
 * Offices at the national level and positions of central government were divided among the three islands. Under this constitution, the unicameral government did not represent the islands in a chamber and gave the governors and federal government authority over the islands.
 * Issues under this constitution included an uneven distribution of resources between governorates and the federal government which lead to limited autonomy in the independent management of each island. Foreign aid required approval of the federal executive, further exacerbating this issue.
 * Revised in 1983, 1984, and 1989 which resulted in the elimination of the Prime Minister position.

Second Constitution: Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, 1992 - 1999

 * Consulted civil society and political parties. Governors and Island Council's now elected for five year terms, with the latter in charge of the island's finances.
 * Between 30-40% of taxes went to the federal budget with the rest proportionately divided among the islands.
 * The Central government was in charge of the armed forces and national policies and could be terminated through a vote of non-confidence in the Federal Assembly, whose members were elected for four years.
 * This constitution created a Senate of equal representation for the islands where members were elected for six year terms and could collectively challenge policy passed by the Federal Assembly.
 * The Constitutional Council oversaw elections and the constitutionality of proceedings in the islands.
 * The Council of Ulenma promoted Islam.
 * Judicial power was independent from the executive and legislative branches.

Third Constitution: The Union of the Comoros, 2001

 * Occurred after a coup in 1999 by Colonel Azali Assoumani
 * Federal Assembly dissolved
 * President of the Union elected to five year terms and appoints Prime Minister to serve as head of government.
 * President Azali did not elect a head of government and thus was both the head of the state and government. The executive is known as the council of ministers and appointed by the president with each island having their own presidents.
 * Senate replaced with Assembly of the Union – 30 seats and five year terms.
 * Created a supreme court that was elected by the president, the Assembly of the Union, and the assembly of each island.

Colonel Azali Assoumani seized power in a bloodless coup in April 1999, overthrowing Interim President Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde, who himself had held the office since the death of democratically elected President Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim in November, 1998.

In May 1999, Azali decreed a constitution that gave him both executive and legislative powers. Bowing somewhat to international criticism, Azali appointed a civilian Prime Minister, Bainrifi Tarmidi, in December 1999; however, Azali retained the mantle of Head of State and army Commander. In December 2000, Azali named a new civilian Prime Minister, Hamada Madi, and formed a new civilian Cabinet. When Azali took power he also pledged to step down in April 2000 and relinquish control to a democratically elected president—a pledge with mixed results.

Fourth Constitution
In a separate nod to pressure to restore civilian rule, the government organized several committees to compose a new constitution, including the August 2000 National Congress and November 2000 Tripartite Commission. The opposition parties initially refused to participate in the Tripartite Commission, but on 17 February, representatives of the government, the Anjouan separatists, the political opposition, and civil society organizations signed a "Framework Accord for Reconciliation in Comoros," brokered by the Organization for African Unity

The accord called for the creation of a new Tripartite Commission for National Reconciliation to develop a "New Comorian Entity" with a new constitution. The new federal Constitution came into effect in 2002; it included elements of consociationalism, including a presidency that rotates every four years among the islands and extensive autonomy for each island. Presidential elections were held in 2002, at which Azali Assoumani was elected President. In April 2004 legislative elections were held, completing the implementation of the new constitution.

The new Union of the Comoros consists of three islands, Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli. Each island has a president, who shares the presidency of the Union on a rotating basis. The president and his vice-presidents are elected for a term of four years. The constitution states that, "the islands enjoy financial autonomy, freely draw up and manage their budgets".

Copied from Politics of the Comoros.