25 candidates vying for presidency in Comoros

Moroni (Comoros) (AFP) - Twenty-five candidates out of 28 have been cleared to run in the first round of next month's presidential elections in the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Comoros, the Constitutional Court confirmed in a ruling on Saturday.

All the remaining hopefuls come from the island of Grande Comore, which is next in line to hold the post in compliance with a 2001 constitutional provision stipulating that the presidency should rotate among the three islands that make up the Comoros.

The first round of voting will take place on February 21, with the top three candidates to face off in a second round on April 18.

The three islands of Anjouan, Grand Comore and Moheli have a total population of just under 800,000 people.

Among the contenders to be dropped from the list of candidates was former leader and Muslim populist Abdallah Sambi, who has been eyeing a political comeback.

The decision was expected however as Sambi, president from 2006 to 2011, hails from Anjouan and it is not that island's turn to hold the presidency.

Since gaining independence from France in 1975, the impoverished archipelago has witnessed more than 20 attempted coups, four of which were successful, but it has enjoyed relative stability in recent years.