MORONI, June 29, 2008 (AFP) - Voters on the isle of Anjouan in the Comoros Islands cast their ballots on Sunday and waited to see who would succeed former president Mohamed Bacar, ousted by a military campaign in March.

This second round of voting in the presidential elections followed the initial June 15 poll and offered two candidates: businessman and Comoros deputy Mohamed Djaanfari or an engineer and relative political newcomer, Moussa Toybou.

Out of a population of around 250,000, nearly 128,000 voters were eligible to cast ballots at the 250 polling stations dotting the small mountainous island, local authorities said.

'It is too early for a count but the information that I am receiving from teams in the field suggests that the rate of participation will be higher than for the first round,' Elections Minister Mmadi Ali told AFP by phone.

A deputy in the Union of Comoros' assembly, Djaanfari specialises in maritime transport and was a staunch Bacar opponent.

While new to the island's politics, Toybou has benefitted from the support of the president of the Union, Ahmed Abdallah Sambi.

Comoran and African Union-mandated forces invaded Anjouan in March to overthrow Bacar after he refused to step down following elections they declared illegal the previous year.

Bacar and his followers fled to the French island of Reunion where a court of appeal gave him a three-month suspended jail term after finding him guilty of importing weapons.