Voting closes in Comoros Islands

Moroni. Counting began on Monday in a politically explosive referendum in Comoros that could change the constitution and allow President Azali Assoumani to rule beyond 2021, his current term limit.

Turnout was weak at several polling stations in the capital Moroni, AFP reporters witnessed, after opposition leaders called for a boycott.

One businessman who requested anonymity told AFP he had not voted because he “sensed a scam”.

But Soilihi Ali Said, a voter in his 40s in the capital Moroni which on Monday was virtually shut down by a general strike, said he voted ‘Yes’ because “there’s the promise of change with new faces and a state that’s less bloated.” (AFP)