Zanzibar: Return to Multiparty Elections in 1995 (continued)

Extracted from: "Zanzibar" IN Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa (2002), edited by Tom Lodge, Denis Kadima and David Pottie, EISA, 412-413.

But the CUF also wrote to the chair of ZEC complaining about the way the elections were conducted and pointed out 14 discrepancies. These were cited as evidence that the elections were not free and fair. In the letter, CUF made it very clear that it would not accept any results announced by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission.

The day after CUF had written its 1etter CCM also wrote a letter. The contents of the CCM letter were similar to those of CUF but CCM had pointed out 12 discrepancies. The CCM also declared that it would not accept the results announced by the electoral commission. Two days before the announcement of the Zanzibar presidential results CUF announced that its presidential candidate, Mr Seif Sharif Hamad, had won the election. Some of the mass media, including the daily newspaper Majira of Dar es Salaam and Dar es Salaam Television, announced similar information. Thereafter, the Zanzibar Electoral Commission announced that the CCM candidate, Dr Salmin Amour, had won, defeating his 'rival, Mr SeifSharifHamad, by 0.4%.

Surprisingly the CCM, who had written a letter to the Zanzibar Electoral Commission stating that they would not accept its results started a big celebration in Zanzibar town upon news of their victory. The CCM deputy secretary-general, Mr Ali Ameir Mohanuned, could not answer questions from members of the press when asked about the fate of their letter to the commission. When asked about his narrow victory, Dr Salinin Amour, said victory was a victory even by one vote.

CUF declared that it did not accept the results and that the electoral commission had robbed them of their victory , The CUF , therefore, decided not to recognise the victory of the CCM candidate. The CUF decided to boycott all the activities of the House of Representatives that in one way or the other would involve the president.

Dr Salmin Amour nominated ten members of the House of Representatives in accordance with the powers vested in him by the Zanzibar constitution. The Zanzibar Electoral Commission had also offered five seats to CCM and four to CUF to fill the preferential women's seats. By including the Zanzibar attomey-general who is also appointed by the president of Zanzibar, and who takes a seat in the House of Representatives, and the five regional commissioners, the number of CCM members in the House of Representatives was 47 compared to CUF's 28.