Until 2018, the
presidency of the Comoros rotated between the country's three main islands;
Anjouan,
Grande Comore and
Mohéli. The
2010 elections were limited to Mohélian candidates and the
2016 elections saw candidates from Grand Comore contest the elections. The next presidential election would have seen a president elected from Anjouan. However, a
constitutional referendum in July 2018 saw voters approve constitutional amendments that scrapped the rotation system and instituted a standard
two-round system in which a candidate has to receive a majority of the vote in the first round to be elected, with a second round held if no candidate is able to win in the first round. The referendum led to violent protests and an armed uprising in Anjouan in October 2018, which was stopped by the
military after several days. ==Candidates==