Comoros President Azali Assoumani has granted his son, Nour El Fath, sweeping new powers, allowing him to intervene at all stages of the government’s policy application, following his appointment to coordinate government affairs last month.
Assoumani, 65, who was re-elected in January amid allegations of voter fraud, is accused by opponents and analysts of grooming El Fath to succeed him in 2029. Assoumani has not addressed these accusations, and El Fath did not respond to requests for comment.
Franco-Comorian lawyer Saïd Larifou stated, “There is no doubt that Colonel Azali Assoumani, by granting presidential and constitutional prerogatives to his son, is preparing the latter to succeed him.”
El Fath’s new role includes evaluating ministers and intervening in the execution of government decisions, according to a presidential decree published Tuesday. Previously, El Fath served as a senior economic adviser from 2019 before becoming secretary general of the government on July 1.
Government spokesperson Fatima Hamada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Comoros, a group of three islands off the coast of Mozambique with a population of about 800,000, has experienced around 20 coups or attempted coups since its independence from France in 1975. Assoumani, who first came to power in a 1999 coup, has won four elections since 2002. Constitutional reforms in 2018 extended the presidential rotation requirement among the three main islands from every five years to ten. El Fath would not be eligible to replace his father in 2029 without another constitutional change.