Gunfire heard in Comoros capital after opposition forms parallel body to unseat president

Comoros President Azali Assoumani sits in a chair reserved for heads of state before giving a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 27, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

Gunfire was heard near the main military base in the Comoros capital on Thursday, hours after opposition candidates announced plans to unseat the president whose re-election this week they reject as fraudulent.

President Azali Assoumani was declared the winner in Sunday’s election with more than 60 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a second-round run-off. Observers from African monitoring missions have said the election lacked credibility.