Power struggle threatens elections

The ongoing power struggle between newly elected President of the Comoro Union, Azali Assoumani, and the president of the autonomous island of Grande Comore may threaten upcoming parliamentary elections in the archipelago, analysts warned on Wednesday. Grand Comore President Abdou Soule Elbak last week said he would not participate in the elections scheduled for December, accusing Assoumani of "not adhering to the provisions in the constitution so as to have democratic elections". "The last stage of the national reconciliation process cannot take place without the preceding stages having been correctly carried out," the local newspaper La Gazette des Comores reported Elbak as saying. But a Comorian diplomat told IRIN the stand-off between the two leaders was more about "economic control of the island". Since the devolution process in June, Assoumani and Soule Elbak have been at loggerheads over control of key government ministries. "Until a parliament is elected the administrative confusion will continue. But, until then, the tension between the two is likely to increase. Both Assoumani and Elbak want economic control or the islands," the diplomat said. "There has been a clear demarcation of responsibilities between the Union and the island as far the education and agriculture ministries. But the real power struggle is based on money. The leader who has more of it, is seen to control the island. The the income from customs, taxes and the country's oil projects is up for discussion. That is where the money is," the diplomat added. "Obviously the ongoing confusion over administrative functions is not good for the country. It is assumed that the situation will be resolved in December with the elections," a political analyst told IRIN.