Editing Comoros (section)

== Government ==
{{Main|Politics of the Comoros}}
{{see also|List of rulers of Comoros}}
[[File:Moroni harbour (2).jpg|thumb|[[Moroni, Comoros|Moroni]], capital of the Comoros, with the port and Badjanani Mosque]]

Politics of the Comoros takes place in a framework of a [[unitary state|unitary]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Comoros 2018 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Comoros_2018 |website=Constitute |access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref> [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[republic]], whereby the [[President of the Comoros]] is both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]], and of a [[multi-party system]]. The Constitution of the Union of the Comoros was ratified by referendum on 23 December 2001, and the islands' constitutions and executives were elected in the following months. It had previously been considered a military dictatorship, and the transfer of power from Azali Assoumani to Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi in May 2006 was a watershed moment as it was the first peaceful transfer in Comorian history.

[[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[Forms of government|government]] and parliament. The preamble of the constitution guarantees an Islamic inspiration in governance, a commitment to human rights, and several specific enumerated rights, democracy, "a common destiny" for all Comorians.<ref>{{cite web |title=Comoros 2001 (rev. 2009) |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Comoros_2009?lang=en#1 |website=Constitute |access-date=23 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906053225/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Comoros_2009?lang=en#1 |archive-date=6 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Each of the islands (according to Title II of the Constitution) has a great amount of autonomy in the Union, including having their own constitutions (or Fundamental Law), president, and Parliament. The presidency and Assembly of the Union are distinct from each of the islands' governments. Up to a referendum on 30.7.2018 (62.7% participation, 92.34% for the amendment according to the Comorian government) the presidency of the Union rotated between the islands.<ref name="CfHR_Law-of-the-Union">{{cite web |url=http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/ComorosC%20(english%20summary)(rev).doc |date=23 December 2001 |format=DOC |title=Fundamental Law of the Union of Comoros (English excerpts) |publisher=Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009114022/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/constitutions/docs/ComorosC%20(english%20summary)(rev).doc |archive-date=9 October 2006 |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref> 
=== Legal system ===
The Comorian [[legal system]] rests on [[Islamic law]], an inherited French ([[Napoleonic Code]]) legal code, and customary law (mila na ntsi). Village elders, kadis or civilian courts settle most disputes. The [[judiciary]] is independent of the [[legislative]] and the executive. The Supreme Court acts as a Constitutional Council in resolving constitutional questions and supervising presidential elections. As High Court of Justice, the Supreme Court also arbitrates in cases where the government is accused of malpractice. The Supreme Court consists of two members selected by the president, two elected by the Federal Assembly, and one by the council of each island.<ref name="CfHR_Law-of-the-Union" />

=== Political culture ===
Around 80 percent of the central government's annual budget is spent on the country's complex administrative system which provides for a semi-autonomous government and president for each of the three islands and a rotating presidency for the overarching Union government.<ref>{{cite web |title=COMOROS: Reforming 'the coup-coup islands' |date=25 February 2009 |publisher=[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]] |url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83144 |access-date=25 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930032932/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83144 |archive-date=30 September 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> A referendum took place on 16 May 2009 to decide whether to cut down the government's unwieldy political bureaucracy. 52.7% of those eligible voted, and 93.8% of votes were cast in approval of the referendum. Following the implementation of the changes, each island's president became a governor and the ministers became councillors.<ref name=allafrica20090519>{{cite news |title=Comoros: Referendum Approves Downscaling of Government |publisher=AllAfrica Global Media |date=19 May 2009 |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200905190777.html |access-date=20 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525063235/http://allafrica.com/stories/200905190777.html |archive-date=25 May 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the Comoros}}

In November 1975, the Comoros became the 143rd member of the [[United Nations]]. The new nation was defined as comprising the entire [[archipelago]], although the citizens of [[Mayotte]] chose to become French citizens and keep their island as a French territory.<ref>Security Council S/PV. 1888 para 247 S/11967 [http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/membship/veto/vetosubj.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317010910/http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/membship/veto/vetosubj.htm|date=17 March 2008}} [http://legal.un.org/repertory/art33/english/rep_supp5_vol2-art33_e.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084240/http://legal.un.org/repertory/art33/english/rep_supp5_vol2-art33_e.pdf|date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

The Comoros has repeatedly pressed its claim to Mayotte before the [[United Nations General Assembly]], which adopted a series of resolutions under the caption "Question of the Comorian Island of Mayotte", opining that Mayotte belongs to the Comoros under the principle that the territorial integrity of colonial territories should be preserved upon independence. As a practical matter, however, these resolutions have little effect and there is no foreseeable likelihood that Mayotte will become ''de facto'' part of the Comoros without its people's consent. More recently, the Assembly has maintained this item on its agenda but deferred it from year to year without taking action. Other bodies, including the [[Organisation of African Unity]], the [[Movement of Non-Aligned Countries]] and the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]], have similarly questioned French sovereignty over Mayotte.<ref name="GA31_first-resolution">The first UN General Assembly Resolution regarding the matter, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20080408191407/http://un.cti.depaul.edu/Countries/Comoros/1156213396.pdf Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte] (PDF)", United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/31/4, (21 October 1976) states "the occupation by France of the Comorian island of Mayotte constitutes a flagrant encroachment on the national unity of the Comorian State, a Member of the United Nations," rejecting the French-administered referendums and condemning French presence in Mayotte.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://un.cti.depaul.edu/Countries/Comoros/1156245840.pdf |title=Forty-ninth session: Agenda item 36: 49/18. Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte |work=United Nations General Assembly |date=6 December 1994|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527195255/http://un.cti.depaul.edu/Countries/Comoros/1156245840.pdf |archive-date=27 May 2008}}</ref> To close the debate and to avoid being integrated by force in the Union of the Comoros, the population of Mayotte overwhelmingly chose to become an [[overseas department]] and a [[region of France]] in a [[2009 Mahoran status referendum|2009 referendum]]. The new status was effective on 31 March 2011 and Mayotte has been recognised as an [[outermost region]] by the [[European Union]] on 1 January 2014. This decision legally integrates Mayotte in the [[French Republic]].

The Comoros is a member of the [[United Nations]], the [[African Union]], the [[Arab League]], the [[World Bank]], the [[International Monetary Fund]], the [[Indian Ocean Commission]] and the [[African Development Bank]]. On 10 April 2008, the Comoros became the 179th nation to accept the [[Kyoto Protocol]] to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://unfccc.int/files/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/application/pdf/kp_ratification.pdf |title=unfccc.int KYOTO PROTOCOL – STATUS OF RATIFICATION |website=Unfccc.int |access-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918081611/http://unfccc.int/files/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/application/pdf/kp_ratification.pdf |archive-date=18 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Comoros signed the UN [[treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament&nbsp;– No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |date=7 July 2017 |access-date=16 August 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Azali Assoumani]], President of the Comoros and Chair of the [[African Union]], attended the [[2023 Russia–Africa Summit]] in Saint Petersburg.<ref>{{cite news |title=African leaders leave Russia summit without grain deal or a path to end the war in Ukraine |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-africa-summit-ukraine-grain-war-125d5a6d5052f4221c46be52c1618cf7 |work=AP News |date=30 July 2023}}</ref>

In May 2013 the Union of the Comoros became known for filing a referral to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the events of "the 31 May 2010 Israeli raid on the Humanitarian Aid Flotilla bound for [the] Gaza Strip". In November 2014 the ICC Prosecutor eventually decided<ref>Office of the Prosecutor, Situation on Registered Vessels of Comoros, Greece and Cambodia Article 53(1) Report, [http://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/otp/OTP-COM-Article_53%281%29-Report-06Nov2014Eng.pdf "Report of 6th November 2014"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319233648/http://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/otp/OTP-COM-Article_53(1)-Report-06Nov2014Eng.pdf |date=19 March 2015 }}</ref> that the events did constitute war crimes but did not meet the gravity standards of bringing the case before ICC.<ref>Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, [[Fatou Bensouda]], on concluding the preliminary examination of the situation referred by the Union of the Comoros: "Rome Statute legal requirements have not been met",[http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/structure%20of%20the%20court/office%20of%20the%20prosecutor/reports%20and%20statements/statement/Pages/otp-statement-06-11-2014.aspx "Statement of 6th November 2014"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602191655/http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/structure%20of%20the%20court/office%20of%20the%20prosecutor/reports%20and%20statements/statement/Pages/otp-statement-06-11-2014.aspx |date=2 June 2015 }}</ref>

The emigration rate of skilled workers was about 21.2% in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Dilip |last1=Ratha |author2=Sanket Mohapatra |author3=Ani Silwal |url=http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1199807908806/Comoros.pdf |title=The Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011: Comoros |work=Worldbank.org |date=2011 |access-date=29 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054019/http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1199807908806/Comoros.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Main|Army of National Development}}
The military resources of the Comoros consist of a small standing army and a 500-member police force, as well as a 600-member defence force.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2023/countries/comoros/#military-and-security |title=Military and Security |website=cia.gov |date=2023 |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2023/field/military-and-security-forces |title=Military and security forces |website=cia.gov |date=2023 |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref> A defence treaty with France<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/cr-cafe/11-12/c1112018.asp |title=– Comores : accord instituant un partenariat de défense (n° 3598) |website=assemblee-nationale.fr |author=Martine Aurillac |date=16 November 2010 |language=fr |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref> provides naval resources for protection of territorial waters, training of Comorian military personnel, and air surveillance. France maintains the presence of a few senior officers in the Comoros at government request, as well as a small maritime base and a [[French Foreign Legion|Foreign Legion]] Detachment (DLEM) on [[Mayotte]].

Once the new government was installed in May–June 2011, an expert mission from UNREC (Lomé) came to the Comoros and produced guidelines for the elaboration of a national security policy, which were discussed by different actors, notably the national defence authorities and civil society.<ref>FINAL EVALUATION, Peace Building Fund Programme in the Comoros 2008–2011, 19 October 2011 – 8 November 2011</ref> By the end of the programme in end March 2012, a normative framework agreed upon by all entities involved in SSR will have been established.{{Update inline|date=August 2021}} This will then have to be adopted by Parliament and implemented by the authorities.

=== Human rights ===
{{Main|Human rights in the Comoros}}
Both male and female [[LGBT rights in the Comoros|same-sex sexual acts]] are illegal in Comoros.<ref>{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Avery |title=71 Countries Where Homosexuality is Illegal |url=https://www.newsweek.com/73-countries-where-its-illegal-be-gay-1385974 |work=Newsweek |date=4 April 2019 |access-date=16 August 2019 |archive-date=11 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211204842/https://www.newsweek.com/73-countries-where-its-illegal-be-gay-1385974 |url-status=live }}</ref> Such acts are punished with up to five years' imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web |title=State-Sponsored Homophobia |url=https://ilga.org/state-sponsored-homophobia-report |website=International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association |date=20 March 2019 |access-date=16 August 2019 |archive-date=8 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208040345/https://ilga.org/state-sponsored-homophobia-report |url-status=live }}</ref>