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Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union More photos  >>> Structure of parliament Unicameral Affiliation to the IPU Yes Affiliation date(s) 1979 - 1988 1994 - 1997 2008 - 2011 2016 - LEADERSHIP President Abdou Ousseni (M)  Notes Elected on 4 April 2015. Secretary General Said Mohamed Ali Said (M)  Notes 28 Sep. 2016 - COMPOSITION Members (statutory / current number) 33 / 33 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN More statistics  >>> Women (current number) 2 (6.06%) Mode of designation directly elected 24 indirectly elected 9 Notes Indirectly elected members: elected by the assemblies of the three islands of the Union (3 members each). Term 5 years Last renewal dates 25 January 2015 22 February 2015 (View details) CONTACT INFORMATION Address Assemblée de l'Union Avenue de la République Populaire de Chine, B.P. 447 MORONI (Export mailing lists) Phone (269) 775 21 12 Fax (269) 775 21 12 E-mail smas.sgg@gmail.com Website http://www.auc.km/

Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union Structure of parliament Unicameral LEGAL FRAMEWORK Electoral law 16 October 2005 Last modified on 19 September 2009 (Ordinance No. 09-006/PR) Mode of designation directly elected 24 indirectly elected 9 Constituencies - 24 single-seat constituencies. - The remaining nine members are indirectly elected by the assemblies of the three islands (three each). Voting system Majority: Majority vote in two rounds (for the 24 directly elected members). In the first round, candidates who obtain an absolute majority are declared elected. In the run-off elections, a simple majority suffices. Vacancies of titular members shall be filled by their substitutes. There are no substitutes for the nine indirectly elected members. Voting is not compulsory. Voter requirements - Comoran nationality - age: at least 18 years old by 1 January of the election year - registration on the voters' list - residence in the country for at least six months prior to the elections. - Persons enjoying civil rights CANDIDATES Eligibility - Qualified voters - Comoran nationality - age: at least 18 years old - residence in Comoros for at least six months prior to the elections. Ineligibilities: - Persons deprived of civil rights under the law - Persons definitively barred from registering on the voters' list due to criminal charges or prison sentences - Persons temporarily barred from registering unless a certain period passes after the end of the ban (twice more than the period they were barred from registering). - Auditors general who relinquished their post within the three years prior to elections - Persons exercising the following profession who relinquished the post within the six months prior to elections: judges, commanders of the armed forces, youth and sports supervisors, primary and secondary school and technical institute supervisors, director of the tax and customs office, labour inspectors, police officers, Comorians serving as civil servants of a foreign country. Incompatibilities - substitute members of the deputies - President of the Republic - members of the government - members of other advisory organs stipulated in the Constitution - judges - municipal councillors - civil servants of a foreign State - international civil servants - employees of the national enterprises - head of enterprises receiving subsidies from the State - Chairman and members of the Board of Directors of State-owned companies Candidacy requirements - deposit of 500,000 Comoran francs (about 1,500 Euros), reimbursable to candidates who obtain at least 10 per cent of the votes.

Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union Structure of parliament Unicameral BACKGROUND Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) 25 January 2015 22 February 2015 Timing and scope of renewal The Assembly of the Union contains 33 seats, of which 24 are directly elected. President Ikililou Dhoinine's Union for the Development of the Comoros (UPDC) took eight directly elected seats, just ahead of former President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi's JUWA ("Sun") party. Parties close to the UPDC took three seats while a JUWA ally took two seats (see note). During the elections, the major parties focused on the economy, promising economic development and social progress. JUWA and the opposition forces won a majority of the nine indirectly elected seats that are determined by the assemblies of the three islands of the Union (Anjouan, Grande-Comore, Mohéli, 3 members each). The opposition therefore held a one-seat majority overall. However, on 1 April, the Constitutional Court invalidated the election of three JUWA members representing the Assembly of Anjouan. JUWA argued that the Constitutional Court's decision was signed by judges who were outside the country. In protest, JUWA and its allies boycotted the speakership election on 4 April, where Justice Minister Abdou Ousseni, nominated by the Government, was elected Speaker at an in camera meeting. The mandate of the outgoing legislature elected in December 2009 was due to expire in April 2014. However, in order to hold parliamentary elections in parallel with those to the assemblies of the three islands of the Union, the parliamentary elections were scheduled for November 2014. Both elections were then postponed to December 2014, then to January (first round) and February 2015 (run-offs) for unspecified reasons. The mandate of the outgoing members of the Assembly of the Union was extended until the end of the 2015 electoral process. Note: The UPDC had the support of the Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC, two seats), led by former President Azali Assoumani, and the Rally for an Alternative of Harmonious and Integrated Development (RADHI, one seat), as well as two independent candidates-elect. The Democratic Rally of the Comoros (RDC, two seats) sided with JUWA. Date of previous elections: 6 & 20 December 2009 Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 22 December 2014 Timing of election: Delayed elections Expected date of next elections: January 2020 Number of seats at stake: 24 (full renewal) Number of candidates: 203 (198 men, 5 women) Percentage of women candidates: 2.5% Number of parties contesting the election: 26 Number of parties winning seats: 6 Alternation of power: No Number of parties in government: 3 Names of parties in government: Union for the Development of the Comoros (UPDC), Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) and Rally for an Alternative of Harmonious and Integrated Development (RADHI) Date of the first session of the new parliament: 3 April2015 Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Abdou Ousseni Union for the Development of the Comoros (UPDC) STATISTICS Voter turnout Round no 1 (from/to) 25 January 2015 22 February 2015 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes 274'505 195'870 (71.35%) Notes Distribution of votes Round no 1 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes Union for the Development of the Comoros (UPDC) JUWA party ("Sun") Democratic Rally of the Comoros (RDC) Independents Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) Rally for an Alternative of Harmonious and Integrated Development (RADHI) PSND-Dudja Party for the Harmony of the Comoros (PEC) Distribution of seats Round no 1 Political Group Total of seats 1st round 2nd round Indirect election Union for the Development of the Comoros (UPDC) 11 2 6 3 JUWA party ("Sun") 10 1 6 3 Democratic Rally of the Comoros (RDC) 4 0 2 2 Independents 3 0 3 0 Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) 2 0 2 0 Rally for an Alternative of Harmonious and Integrated Development (RADHI) 1 0 1 0 PSND-Dudja 1 0 0 1 Party for the Harmony of the Comoros (PEC) 1 0 1 0 Distribution of seats according to sex Men Women Percent of women 32 1 3.03% Distribution of seats according to age Distribution of seats according to profession Comments Note on the number of women: The distribution of seats above refers to the 24 directly elected seats. The distribution of seats according to sex refers to the full 33-member house (including nine indirectly elected members). One woman was directly elected; no women were indirectly elected. Sources: Assembly of the Union (17.03.2015, 18.04.2015, 02.05.2015, 01.01.2017) http://www.cenicomores.km

Parliament name (generic / translated) Assemblée de l'Union / Assembly of the Union Structure of parliament Unicameral APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE Title Speaker of the Assembly of the Union Term - duration: 5 years (the same as the legislature) - reasons for interruption of term: resignation, vote of non-confidence when requested, death, dissolution of the Assembly Appointment - elected by all members of the Assembly - the election is held at the latest three days after the opening of the legislature's first sitting Eligibility - any member may be a candidate - candidatures are filed at the opening of the first sitting Voting system - formal vote by secret ballot - absolute majority at the first round, relative majority at the second round - if no candidate wins an absolute majority at the first round, the two candidates who obtained the highest number of votes face off at a second round held the next day; the candidate winning the most votes is declared elected Procedures / results - the oldest member presides over the Assembly during the vote - the two youngest members act as tellers - the oldest member immediately announces the result - any challenges are raised, discussed and settled immediately STATUS Status - 2nd-highest ranking person in the State - in the event of a vacancy, is replaced by one of the Deputy Speakers Board - the Assembly Board is governed by the Standing Orders - it is made up of the Speaker, three Deputy Speakers, three questors and five secretaries - all Board members except the Speaker of the Assembly are elected for one year - it meets every Monday and may be convened in extraordinary session on the initiative of its members - is a collegial body Material facilities - basic allowance of KMF 375,333 + special allowance of KMF 131,750 - housing allowance of KMF 375,000 FUNCTIONS Organization of parliamentary business - convenes sessions - establishes and modifies the agenda as agreed with the Conference of Presidents and the Government - organizes the deliberations and decides on the time allocated to each speaker - examines the admissibility of draft legislation and amendments - refers texts to a committee with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents and the Government - examines the admissibility of requests for the establishment of committees and/or commissions of inquiry, proposes or decides on the establishment of such committees/commissions with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents and the Government Chairing of public sittings - opens, adjourns and closes sittings - ensures respect for the provisions of the Constitution and the Standing Orders - reads out announcements relating to the Assembly - is in charge of parliamentary discipline; as such, can decide on and lift disciplinary measures - grants and withdraws the right to speak - draws up the order in which amendments are called - calls for the vote, determines the voting procedure, verifies voting operations and annuls the vote in the event of irregularities - verifies the quorum - authenticates the texts adopted and the records of sittings - interprets the Standing Orders and other rules governing the Assembly - has discretionary authority to grant the right to speak on a matter not on the agenda and thus to organize impromptu debates Special powers - delivers an opinion on the Assembly's draft budget before it is submitted to the Finance Committee - appoints the Secretary General on the Board's proposal - oversees the Assembly's services - delivers an opinion, in application of Article 50 of the Constitution, on the deployment of the armed forces - is in charge of relations with foreign parliaments - is in charge of security and, as such, may call on the forces of law and order in the event of a disturbance within the Assembly Speaking and voting rights, other functions - takes the floor during legislative deliberations - issues guidance for interpreting or completing the text being discussed - takes part in the vote - proposes laws or amendments - acts in procedures of parliamentary oversight

This page was last updated on 7 February 2017
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