afrol News, 4 July - Moussa Toybou has been confirmed the winner of Anjouan's hotly contested presidential run-off by the Constitutional Court, beating his challenger, Mohamed Djanfari.

Mr. Toybou, 46, polled 52.42% of the votes against Mr. Djanfari's 47.58%, official results showed. Unlike his challenger, who was formerly the Vice President of the Comoros federal government, Toybou had been a complete novice in politics.

The civil engineer has been reportedly backed by the Comoran President, Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, whose administration was supported by the African Union troops to force out the former Anjouan President, Colonel Mohamed Bacar, from power in March this year. Mr Bacar's troubles were exacerbated by his failure to remain disloyal to the Maroni authorities.

Toybou led the first round polls contested by five candidates. However, the two leading candidates were split with a difference of 88 votes. Anjouan Island, one of the archipelagos of the Comoros, has a voter population of a little over 12,000 people.

After his overthrow, Col. Bacar had fled alongside his 22 guards to the the French Island of Mayotte before being moved to Reunion. The deposed leader was denied political asylym, lthough some of his aides were granted. A French court had recently ruled against the Comoran government's request to extradite Mr Bacar and his aides so that they face numerous charges - attack on state authority, murder, rape and embzzlement of public funds.

A Reunion appeal court said Bacar, who was earlier found guilty of "importing or possessing of weapons" on Mayotte, would risk persecution if extradited.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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