Comoros is a small country on the African continent. Although it is not
in the mainland. Comoros is located in the Indian Ocean. The shape is
only 1,860 square kilometers. If you don't know, It's difficult to find
its location on the world map. It is located between Madaskar and the
mainland of the African continent. The population is about 8,50,000, of
which 98% are Muslims and 86% are ethnically African-Arab. The official
languages are Comorian, French and Arabic.
The constitution
guarantees many traditional rights. The Constitution guarantees the
equal rights of all citizens, the right to dignity, freedom of speech,
security at home, the right to privacy, the right to information,
freedom of association, prohibition of forced labor, protection of the
physically challenged, job creation initiatives, quality health care.
These are positive aspects. Now let's discuss the negative aspects. The downsides are terrible.
The state religion is Sunni Islam. The role of mullahs in the
activities of the country is obvious. The president has to take the oath
of office through the chief mufti before taking office. Comoros is one
of the smallest countries. But mutual distrust is strong between them.
The Comoros is divided into three islands. The president is elected by
the votes of the adult citizens of the entire country. The election will
be completed in two rounds. According to the constitution, the
presidency will revolve around the three islands. The term of the
presidency is 5 years. There will be no more than two consecutive term
presidents from a particular island. The subject seemed strange to me.
If there were 3 vice presidents, and there were provisions for these 3
people to be born on 3 separate islands - then it would be beautiful.
But the president is elected from the whole country. All the voters of
the state vote together as one unit. So in that case, what is this
provision for?
Admirable Articles of Comoros's Constitution
Article 2
The Union of the Comoros equally recognizes the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction of race, sex, religion, political belief, and it assures all citizens the full enjoyment of fundamental freedoms.
Article 3
Sovereignty belongs to the people who exercise it through their representatives or through referendum. No section of the people nor any individual may arrogate its exercise.
Suffrage may be direct or indirect within the conditions provided for by the Constitution and the law. It is always universal, equal and secret.
All Comorians of the two sexes enjoying their civil and political rights are electors, within the conditions determined by the law.
Article 20
The physical and moral integrity of persons is inviolable.
No one may be submitted to torture, or to cruel, degrading or inhuman penalties or treatments .
Article 21
The right to liberty is inviolable.
The freedom of thought and of expression, of association, of intellectual, artistic or cultural creation, of protest and the other freedoms consecrated by the Constitution, the laws and by the international law received within the juridical internal order, are guaranteed.
Article 25
No one may be forced to perform work, except in the cases specified by law.
Article 26
The domicile is inviolable, except in the cases provided for by law.
Article 27
The confidentiality of correspondence and of telecommunications is guaranteed, except in the cases provided for by law.
The law guarantees the protection of individual computer data.
Article 28
Freedom of information, communication, and the press are guaranteed within the conditions established by law.
Article 29
The State guarantees to all citizens the right to instruction, to education, to teaching, and to culture.
Article 30
The State guarantees the rights of women, children, youth and persons living with a disability to be protected by the public powers against all forms of neglect, exploitation and violence.
Article 37
Work is a right recognized to all citizens; the State is required to create the conditions necessary for its effective exercise.
Article 38
All citizens have the right to the security of the employment and to receive remuneration proportional to the quantity and the quality of the work provided.
Men and women receive identical remuneration for equal work.
Article 39
Within the conditions provided for by law, the freedom to create syndical associations or professional associations is recognized for workers to defend their collective or individual interests and rights.
Article 40
No one is obligated to belong to a union, or to a professional association or to continue in one, or to pay dues to union or to a professional association of which they are not a part.
Article 41
The right to strike is recognized and it is exercised within the framework of the law which regulates it.
Article 42
All citizens have the right to health.
It is notably incumbent on the State:
● to assure a national health service that is general and hierarchical;
● to encourage and support the participation of the community in the different levels of health services as well as public and private health initiatives.
Article 43
All citizens have the right to a healthy and ecologically stable environment, as well as having a duty to protect and conserve it.
The State and the communities must adopt policies of defense and of environmental protection with the collaboration of environmental protection groups and see to the rational utilization of all natural resources.
Article 44
The State determines education policy having as its objective the progressive elimination of illiteracy, continued education, creativity, the addition of schools in the community and the civic instruction of students.
Facts of Comoros's Constitution
Preamble (Part of it)
The Comorian people solemnly affirm their will to:
● cultivate a national identity based on a sole people, a sole religion (Sunni Islam) and a sole language;
● promote religious and moral practices of a nature to assure an education which strengthens the national conscience;
● make of the return of the island of Mayotte in its natural whole, a national priority;
Article 52
The presidency of the Union rotates between the Islands.
Each Island, through the elected candidate, carries out the presidency of the Union for a mandate of five (5) years, renewable once.
In no case may an Island exercise more than two (2) consecutive mandates.
The President of the Union is elected by universal direct majority suffrage in two rounds.
Article 53
The Comorian citizen of origin, from the Island where the rotation falls, having the status of elector, aged at least thirty-five (35) years the day of the presentation of their candidature and having effectively resided in a permanent manner in the national territory in the course of the twelve months preceding the election, may be a candidate for the presidency of the Union.
For the purposes of this Article, a Comorian with maternal or paternal relatives born on this Island, is from the Island.
Any Comorian who, although not from the Island, has lived in an effective manner on the Island where the rotation falls during at least ten years preceding the election may equally be a candidate.
The Comorian who decides to be a candidate to the presidential or gubernatorial election in one Island, may not be a candidate in another Island. This choice is irrevocable.
The modalities of the election mentioned in the preceding paragraph are determined by an organic law.
Article 57
Before assuming his functions, the President of the Union swears an oath, his hand on the Koran, before the Supreme Court, attended by the Mufti of the Republic or in his absence, the Grand Qadi, according to the following formulation:
"I swear before Allah, the Merciful and the most Compassionate to loyally and honestly fulfill the duties of my charge, to only act in the general interest and within respect for the Constitution."
CHAPTER V. OF RELIGION
Article 97
Islam is the State religion.
The State draws on this religion, the Sunni principles and rules of obedience and the Chafi'i rites that govern belief and social life.
Article 98
The Mufti of the republic is the highest religious authority of the State. He is appointed by decree of the President of the Union.
The modalities of application of this Article are established by the law.
