reform of justice and the Constitution, state authority, Daoudou Abdallah Mohammed presents his “alternative project”

RFI: Why are you running for president of the Union of the Comoros?

Daoudou Abdallah Mohamed: You know, as president of a political party, I have a duty to present myself because a political party must be present in every democratic fight. But also, the socio-economic and political situation of the country and the governance have meant that today, I am obliged to present myself. When we look, our country is torn, very polarized, also life is expensive, the absence of prospects for young people, because youth unemployment is very, very high. In the absence of adequate solutions and prospects for these young people, I think that as a political leader, I have a duty to present an alternative project in the face of this situation, in relation to current bad governance.

What are the two priorities of your program?

First, initially, my priority is to unify the country, reconcile all Comorians, because together, that is where we can work to develop the country and respond to the concerns of our fellow citizens. . We must, first of all, fight against the high cost of living, control this galloping inflation, reform our tax system, allow our economic operators to work and also get young people to work. There are also very important points that must be reviewed: restoring the authority of the State, with fair justice for all. That too is very important for us, but also, among our first measures, is to work with social partners, particularly those in education, so that children return to school. Today we cannot accept that in a country, schools have already been closed for more than three or four weeks, or even a month. Meanwhile, nothing is done.

And what will be your immediate priority in the event of victory?

First of all, I want to say that victory is not just about winning. I have no doubt, because we have worked well, the Comorians have confidence, hope that among the first measures we will take, it is first of all to fight against the high cost of living, it is a thing. Promote purchasing power, revalue retirement pensions because, you know, today, pensions go up to 13,000 Comorian francs, the equivalent of 26 euros. Do you think that with 26 euros we can live in this country? So we are going to work and ensure that retirement pensions are increased, and also, we are going to index pensions to inflation: each time it increases, it will follow. There are also very important measures that we are going to take, which is to see how to reconcile our fellow citizens and then ensure that all political exiles return to the country.

Are you satisfied with the relationship between France and the Comoros?

I think that we must try to review and strengthen our cooperation with our historic partner and ensure that today, the Comoros can address the real subjects, the major issues, particularly in the Indo-Oceanic zone, Africa. also southern, the Indo-Pacific. For what ? Because with our historic partner, we can work to address these issues, because it is true that what happens elsewhere always has repercussions here, so we must work together on these issues, instead of remaining in a diplomacy of begging which does not respond to the concerns of our fellow citizens. We must therefore move towards improved economic and development diplomacy, and even revised in certain areas.

You were Minister of the Interior under President Azali for five years, what are the reasons for your break?

I thank the president for integrating me into his team. We have worked a lot, we have done a lot of things for the good of our country, however, we are in politics: from the moment there are differences of opinion, it is completely normal and natural, as politician, to make a decision and it is the choice of our party. We have a vision, a project, which was not compatible with the governance of this country. The president thanked us and today we are in a democratic opposition, but not in a systematic opposition. It is very important to note this, and we have an alternative project that can respond to the concerns of our fellow citizens. That’s what I can tell you. We left the presidential movement, it’s already been more than three years, so I don’t see why today, each time, this question always comes up, because our actions on the ground, our actions in relation to the affairs of the country , our position is clear.

Are you for or against maintaining the rotating presidency?

This turning point, initially, ensures a certain stability, but the fact of extending it for ten years, I find that it cannot work, it cannot continue. So we must review the Constitution, remove certain institutions and create others, however, while keeping the principle of the rotation to preserve national unity, that is very important. Now the debate will come. We will consult the Comorians in this regard, but, in my opinion, in our project, this aspect has been taken into account.

What conditions are you asking for to guarantee the transparency and sincerity of the elections?

I think that today we really need to look at security, because there is a major challenge in securing these elections. On the one hand, there are those who do not want these elections to take place, but the rest of us also believe that in politics, the only thing that can change a regime is through the ballot box, so the elections must take place. And the presence of the police… I am not against the police, but we really need to discuss and find an alternative, because today, all the reports show that the police The order must still be kept away from this process. The president himself said that the police, particularly the military, will be confined to their barracks. Now we must work to find an alternative. Are these the unarmed gendarmes and police officers? But that cannot be done until we come together around the table to (seriously) study this question, because it is very important.

Public order must be maintained, that’s one thing. The elections must also be secure, but we must also remember that somewhere there are reports which have made recommendations regarding the behavior of the security forces during the last elections, which is why we must come together to find an alternative. without hindering the work of professionals, because our soldiers are professionals, they do a good job, except that during electoral periods, there are situations that people cannot control, and we do not want today that they could be involved in this situation. It should also be noted that the president of the Céni, I think that he must pull himself together, because instead of him being in a position of conciliation, unifying, of trying to find a consensus so that the process takes place in good conditions, he has become like a politician. I remind you that, to a certain extent, the law is not respected, starting with the Ceni. When we look, I think that if today we come together, we can find solutions differently, but we cannot continue with such a person who despises people, who does not respect people. I think there is food for thought about its presence within this institution, if we really want to organize free, transparent and peaceful elections.

► Our series of interviews with the presidential candidates on January 13:

Comoros: the priorities of candidate Bourhane Hamidou of the Woneha movement with Daoud Halifa