President's Son Seen As Comoros Leader In Waiting

Moroni, Comoros, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Aug, 2023 ) :Young and ambitious, the son of Comoros President Azali Assoumani has all the trappings of a leader in waiting.

As the ruling party of the small Indian Ocean archipelago gathered to appoint a new secretary general at the weekend, many thought the top job would go to Nour El Fath Azali, 39.

Azali himself -- currently a private adviser to his father -- seemed open to taking on a bigger role.

"If the party asks me, I will accept its decision," Azali told AFP on the sidelines of the event in the capital Moroni, wearing a white shirt and a blue cap with the ruling party logo.

The Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros (CRC) eventually handed another term to incumbent secretary Youssoufa Mohamed Ali, a veteran politician.

And with his father looking to remain in power for another five-year term after elections next year, some believe Azali's anointment might have only been postponed.

Azali, who describes himself as a "perfectionist", has enjoyed a growing public presence since his father, currently the head of the African Union, won a disputed election in 2019.

As a presidential adviser he is often seen alongside ministers at televised press conferences and was the driving force behind the CRC's congress held at a Moroni hotel, where he cut a busy figure.

Given the Comoros's turbulent history and what critics say are Assoumani's authoritarian tendencies, many believe he is poised to take over the reins of the small country of less than a million people.