A constitutional referendum was held in the Comoros on 5 November 1989. The proposed amendments to the constitution would allow incumbent PresidentAhmed Abdallah to run for a third term,[1] as well as creating the post of Prime Minister.
The official result was a 92.5 percent majority in favor of the amendments proposed by Abdallah.[2][1] This created "the conditions for a life presidency," warned one opposition leader.[1] Voting was marked by manipulation by the government.[1] Opposition groups reported that polling places lacked private voting booths, government officials blocked the entry of opposition poll watchers, and the army and police removed ballot boxes before voting ended.[1] Reaction to these abuses was unusually angry.[1] In Njazidja voters smashed ballot boxes rather than have them carted away by the army; the governor's office in Nzwani was set on fire, and a bomb was found outside the home of the minister of finance in Moroni.[1] More than 100 people were arrested following the referendum, and in subsequent weeks the international media described a deteriorating situation in the islands; Abdallah claimed that France "authorizes terrorism in the Comoros," and leaders of the banned opposition questioned the legitimacy of the referendum in public statements.[1]
On 26 November Abdallah was killed during a coup led by Said Mohamed Djohar.
Results
Choice
Votes
%
For
240,281
92.5
Against
19,500
7.5
Invalid/blank votes
–
Total
259,781
100
Registered voters/turnout
265,222
97.95
Source: African Elections Database
References
^ a b c d e f g hMetz, Helen Chapin, ed. (1995). Indian Ocean : five island countries (3rd ed.). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. p. 163. ISBN0-8444-0857-3. OCLC 32508646. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
^"Elections in the Comoros". African Elections Database. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
