Court clears 31 for Comoros polls

MORONI, Apr 28 (Reuters) Thirty-one candidates were cleared by a Comoros court today to contest presidential elections in June on its three semi-autonomous islands.

Eighteen will run on its biggest island, Grande Comore, while Anjouan and Moheli will have eight and five candidates respectively, Constitutional Court President Mouzaoir Abdallah said. Four would-be contenders were disqualified.

The president of Comoros' central government, Ahmed Abdullah Mohamed Sambi, won a four-year term a year ago.

Despite 19 coup attempts in its three decades since independence, analysts say Comoros now enjoys more stability and cooperation between islands. But in February, the European Union expressed concern over renewed political tensions.

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