| Country name | conventional long form: Union of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Udzima wa Komori (Comorian), Union des Comores (French), Jumhuriyat al Qamar al Muttahidah (Arabic) local short form: Komori (Comorian), Comores (French), Juzur al Qamar (Arabic) etymology: name derives from the Arabic designation "Juzur al Qamar" meaning "Islands of the Moon" |
| Government type | federal presidential republic |
| Capital | name: Moroni geographic coordinates: 11 42 S, 43 14 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Moroni derives from "mroni," which means "at the river" in Shingazidja, the Comorian language spoken on Grande Comore (N'gazidja) |
| Administrative divisions | 3 islands; Anjouan (Ndzuwani), Grande Comore (N'gazidja), Moheli (Mwali) |
| Independence | 6 July 1975 (from France) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 6 July (1975) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1996, 2001; newest adopted 30 July 2018 amendments: proposed by the president of the union or supported by at least one third of the Assembly of the Union membership; adoption requires approval by at three-quarters majority of the total Assembly membership or approval in a referendum note: a referendum held on 30 July 2018 - boycotted by the opposition - overwhelmingly approved a new constitution that allows for 2 consecutive 5-year presidential terms and revises the rotating presidency within the islands |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of Islamic religious law, the French civil code of 1975, and customary law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Comoros dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2016); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; note - AZALI takes oath of office 2 June 2019 after 24 March 2019 reelection (2019) head of government: President AZALI Assoumani (since 26 May 2016) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote in 2 rounds for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 24 March 2019 (next to be held in 2024) election results: AZALI Assoumani (CRC) elected president in first round; with a 59% of the vote; - AZALI Assoumani (CRC) 60.8%, Ahamada MAHAMOUDOU (PJ) 14.6%, and Mouigni Baraka Said SOILIHI (Independent) 5.6% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 24 members directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed and 9 members indirectly elected by the 3 island assemblies; members serve 5-year terms) (2017) elections: last held on 19 January 2020 with a runoff on 23 February 2020 (next to be held in 2025) (2020) election results: seats by party -1st round - Boycotting parties 16, Independent 3, CRC 2, RDC 2, RADHI 1, Orange party 0; note - 9 additional seats filled by the 3 island assemblies; 2nd round - CRC 20, Orange Party 2, Independents 2; composition as of 23 January 2020 men 20, women 4, percent of women 16.7% (2019) |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of 7 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges - selection and term of office NA subordinate courts: Court of Appeals (in Moroni); Tribunal de premiere instance; island village (community) courts; religious courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI Assoumani] Democratic Rally of the Comoros or RDC [Mouigni BARAKA] Independent Party [N/A] Juwa Party or PJ [[Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI, Mahamoudou AHAMADA] Orange Party [Mohamed DAOUDOU] Party for the Comorian Agreement (Partie Pour l'Entente Commorienne) or PEC [Fahmi Said IBRAHIM] Rally for an Alternative of Harmonious and Integrated Development or RADHI [Houmed MSAIDIE, Abdou SOEFO] Rally with a Development Initiative for Enlightened Youth or RIDJA [Said LARIFOU] Union for the Development of the Comoros or UPDC [Mohamed HALIFA] (2018) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AMF, AOSIS, AU, CAEU (candidates), COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Issimail CHANFI (since 23 December 2020) chancery: Mission to the UN, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 495, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637 FAX: [1] (212) 750-1657 email address and website: comoros@un.int https://www.un.int/comoros/ |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the US Ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros |
| Flag description | four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue, with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a vertical white crescent moon with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, N'gazidja, Ndzuwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - department of France, but claimed by Comoros) note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam |
| National symbol(s) | four five-pointed stars and crescent moon; national colors: green, white |
| National anthem | name: "Udzima wa ya Masiwa" (The Union of the Great Islands) lyrics/music: Said Hachim SIDI ABDEREMANE/Said Hachim SIDI ABDEREMANE and Kamildine ABDALLAH note: adopted 1978 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
