An unexpected power cut in the Comoros at the weekend has delayed the release of results in the first round of legislative polls in the Comoros, a senior official told IRIN on Monday. "We would have liked to have had most of the results released by today (Monday) but, due to the electricity problems and delays with the delivery of ballot papers, we are a bit behind. But we are quite confident that we will prove successful when the full results are known," said Dini Nassur, spokesman for Grand Comore President Abdou Elbak. Nassur confirmed that by Monday the electoral commission had only provisionally released two results, giving one seat in the Grande Comore parliament to Elbak and the other to Union President Azali Assoumani. On Sunday 325,000 registered voters could elect a separate parliament for each of the three islands - Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli - with a total of 55 seats between them. The legislative polls, delayed for more than a year by the controversy over constitutional powers, are the last step in a process of regionally mediated national reconciliation that will unite the islands in a federal system. Elections for the federal parliament are scheduled to take place on 18 April and 25 April.
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