The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Mr. Jean Ping, has been closely following the recent developments in the Comoros, especially the adoption, on 1 March 2010, by the Congress which comprises the elected members of the Assembly of the Union and those of the Councils of the autonomous Islands of a law aimed at harmonizing, from 27 November 2011, the mandates of the President of the Union and the Governors of the Islands.
This law, which was adopted by 60 votes of the 84 elected members of the Congress, while a part of the opposition boycotted the proceedings of this organ, has the effect of extending the mandate of President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, whose term comes to an end on 26 May, by 18 months, and of postponing by the same period the exercise by the Island of Moheli of the rotating presidency of the Union,
after the Grande Comoros and Anjouan.
The Chairperson of the Commission recalls that, at its 14th Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa from 31 January to 2 February 2010, the Assembly of the Union, in line with previous AU decisions, stressed the need for the Comorian parties to work in a consensual manner to implement the constitutional reforms introduced following the referendum of 17 May 2009. The objective thus pursued is to avoid any questioning of the principles, mechanisms and balance that underpin the reconciliation process, particularly the rotating presidency of the Union, with a view to avoiding tensions that could adversely affect the stability and national unity of the Archipelago, for which achievement the AU has made sustained efforts.
The Chairperson of the Commission stresses the readiness of the AU, on the basis of its relevant instruments and its doctrine, to continue to assist the Comorian parties to achieve the necessary consensus on the institutional issues facing the Archipelago, in strict compliance with legality and the principles that underpin the reconciliation process in the Comoros.
In this regard, he recalls that his Special Envoy to the Comoros, Francisco Madeira, is currently in the Archipelago for consultations with the concerned parties and for an evaluation of the situation on the ground. The Commission will also soon receive representatives of the Union authorities and the opposition. In addition, the Commission intends to submit, in due course, a report on the situation in the Comoros to the Peace and Security Council.
Source: African Union Commission (AUC)
