Staff Writer
The Comoros President Azali Assoumani’s young and aspirational son possesses all the characteristics of a future leader.
Many believed Nour El Fath Azali, 39, would be chosen as the new secretary general of the ruling party of the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago when they assembled over the weekend.
Azali, who serves as his father’s personal advisor at the moment, was open to assuming a more significant position.
Wearing a white shirt and a blue cap with the logo of the ruling party, Azali stated on the sidelines of the event in the capital Moroni, “If the party asks me, I will accept its decision.”
In the end, the veteran secretary Youssoufa Mohamed Ali received another term from the Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC).
Additionally, some people think Azali’s inauguration might have just been delayed because his father intends to run for re-election the following year and seek another five-year term in office.
Since his father, who serves as the leader of the African Union, was elected in 2019 under questionable circumstances, Azali, who calls himself a “perfectionist,” has become more visible in public.
President Azali Assoumani of the Comoros first took office in a coup in 1999.
He frequently appears with ministers at televised press conferences as a presidential adviser, and he was instrumental in getting the CRC’s congress housed in a Moroni hotel. He cut a bustling figure.
Many fear Assoumani is about to assume control of the Comoros due to the country’s volatile past and what some claim are his dictatorial tendencies.
‘Paper Tiger’
Using language that sounded like support, government spokesman Houmed Msaidie said, “My dearest wish is to see young people… take ownership of politics.”
Soilihi Mohamed Djounaid, a key CRC member and the CEO of a state-owned energy company, praised Nour El Fath Azali as “a true leader and a visionary.”
In a coup in 1999, Assoumani, 64, a former chief of staff of the army, took control. Ten years after quitting politics in 2006, he came back strong, winning a vote marked by violence and accusations of irregularities.
He organized a second round of elections in 2019 after encouraging Comorians to cast ballots in a contentious referendum in favor of increasing the number of presidential terms from one five-year term to two.
Then, a quiet father-of-three with an MBA in international finance from the United States and prior banking experience named Azali emerged from relative obscurity.
But not everyone has been happy with his success.
A CRC insider who wished to remain anonymous called Azali “arrogant” and charged that in his pursuit of power, he had spared no one.
The insider claimed that “he is using a scorched-earth approach, trying to remove his father’s supporters from the political sphere.”
“The CRC is a paper tiger with serious internal problems. With only a few months till the presidential election, this is not promising.
Having recently returned to the Comoros after four years of self-imposed exile, presidential contender Achmet Said Mohamed said Azali’s rise was indicative of the democracy in the Comoros.
“He just has his dictator father’s golden parachute. This is a rather typical occurrence that all dictatorships have, he said.
With the first round of voting slated for January, Assoumani is largely anticipated to run for re-election the following year.
