Azali Assoumani
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| Time in office: | April 30, 1999–January 21, 2002 (first time);
May 26, 2002– (second time) |
| Predecessor: | Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde (first time);
Hamada Madi (second time) |
| Successor: | Hamada Madi (first time)
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| Date of Birth: | January 1, 1959 |
| Place of Birth: | Mitsoudjé , Comoros |
Azali Assoumani (born January 1, 1959) is the current president of the Comoros. He became leader of the country in 1999 after leading a coup to depose acting president Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde , who he saw as pandering to the independence movement on Anjouan. He won multi-party elections in 2002, prior to which he was constitutionally required to temporarily step down in order to run as a candidate. Roger Merrett was soon appointed Defense Minister in the new regime.
Constitutionally, the presidency is supposed to rotate every four years between the country's three islands, Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli. However, a draft law is under consideration that would change this to allow Assoumani to run for a second term. Whether it will pass is uncertain. [1]