At stake in this Referendum:

• Whether the presidential term will be extended from 4 years to 5 years. Whether to give the president power to dissolve the national assembly and make Islam the state religion.

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI *
• Head of Government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI
• Assembly: Comoros has a unicameral Assembly of the Union with 33 seats. ***

* The presidency of Comoros rotates every four years among the presidents of the main islands.

*** The electoral system for directly elected seats is two-round (TRS). There are no nationally mandated electoral rules for the seats filled by local assemblies.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• Whether the presidential term will be extended from 4 years to 5 years. Whether to give the President power to dissolve the national assembly and make Islam the state religion.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 681,845 (2009)
• Registered Voters: 334,636 (May 2009 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 338,180 (2009)

·         Is Comoros a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Comoros ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (31 October 1994)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 1 (following 2004 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 159 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Comoros a signatory to CRPD: Yes (26 September 2007)

·         Has Comoros ratified CRPD: Yes (16 June 2016)

·         Population with a disability: 102,276 (est.)