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Comoros GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
The Constitution of the Federal Islamic Republic of the
Comoros was approved by referendum on June 7, 1992. It
replaced
the constitution of 1978, as amended in 1982 and 1985.
Among the
general principles enumerated in the preamble are the
recognition
of Islam as the state religion and respect for human
rights as
set forth in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
All
citizens are declared equal before the law.
The president is elected by direct universal suffrage
to a
five-year term and is limited to two terms. All persons
over the
age of eighteen who possess full civil and political
rights may
vote. The president may be elected to no more than two
terms. The
president is both head of state and head of government.
The
president nominates ministers to form the Council of
Government,
which had twelve members in the latter half of 1994. The
ministries, which are routinely reshuffled, merged,
eliminated,
and resurrected, consisted of the following at that time:
the
prime minister, who also served as minister of civil
service;
Economy, Plan, Industry, and Handicrafts; Equipment,
Energy,
Urbanization, and Housing; Finance and Budget; Foreign
Affairs
and Cooperation; Information, Culture, Youth, Sports, and
Posts
and Telecommunication; Islamic Affairs and Justice;
National
Education and Technical and Professional Teaching; Public
Health;
Rural Development, Fisheries, and the Environment; Social
Affairs, Work, and Employment; and Transportation and
Tourism.
The president also nominates governors for each of the
three
islands for five-year terms. If the presidency becomes
vacant,
the president of the Supreme Court serves as interim
president
until an election can be held.
The constitution provides for a bicameral legislature.
The
forty-two members of the "lower" house, the Federal
Assembly,
represent electoral wards for four-year terms. The Federal
Assembly meets for two forty-five-day sessions per year,
in April
and October. The upper house, the Senate, has fifteen
members,
five from each island, who are chosen by an Electoral
College.
The post of prime minister is held by a member of the
party
holding a majority of seats in the Federal Assembly. The
number
of political parties may be regulated by federal law. In
1994
more than twenty political parties were active. Areas
subject to
federal legislation include defense, communications, law,
international trade, federal taxation, economic planning,
and
social services.
As a federal republic, Comoros assigns autonomy to the
three
constituent islands in matters that, in accordance with
the
constitution, do not come within the purview of the
national
government. Each island has a council whose members are
elected
to represent electoral wards for four-year terms.
Normally, each
council meets twice yearly, in March and December, for a
fifteenday session
(see Political Dynamics
, this ch.).
The judiciary is considered independent of the
executive and
legislature. The Supreme Court examines constitutional
issues and
supervises presidential elections. The high court also
arbitrates
when the government is accused of malpractice. The Supreme
Court
normally consists of at least seven members: two chosen by
the
president, two elected by the Federal Assembly, and three
chosen
by the respective island councils. Former presidents also
may
serve on the high court.
Data as of August 1994
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