Zanzibar: 2005 Elections

See also Tanzania: 2005 Elections.

Extracted from: Grant Masterson 2009 "Chapter 13: Tanzania and Zanzibar" IN Denis Kadima and Susan Booysen (eds) Compendium of Elections in Southern Africa 1989-2009: 20 Years of Multiparty Democracy, EISA, Johannesburg, 558, 559.

The 2005 elections in Zanzibar were guided by the Muafaka II Accord negotiated between the CCM [Chama cha Mapinduzi - Party of Revolution] and CUF [Civic United Front - Chama cha Wananchi)] after the violence which ensued from the 2000 elections and their aftermath in early 2001 [see Zanzibar: 2005 Elections]. The accord created an improved platform upon which the elections were to be based, including revising the membership of the ZEC [Zanzibar Electoral Commission], and creating a permanent voters' register. The two parties agreed to abide by the accords, unlike the first Muafaka Accord, which was drafted in 1999 ahead of the elections in 2000, but failed due to a lack of political will to see the agreement implemented on both sides.

Although the elections were a significant improvement on the 1995 and 2000 polls, violent incidents were reported during the campaign period as well as on the election date. Observer missions also noted concerns around the registration of voters on the PVR [permanent voter register], including the role of shehas in some constituencies and the difficulties of registering voters without an established national identification system in place. The CUF alleged that its members were prevented from registering to vote by the shehas without recourse in some constituencies, and was even able to provide EISA observers with the names of the individuals in question in some cases. In spite of these difficulties, most observer groups reported that the 2005 elections were an improvement on previous polls, and that the introduction of a PVR and the reforms to the ZEC in particular had improved the delivery of the elections.

Once again the results of the elections were closely contested between the CCM and CUF, with the incumbent president, Amani Abeid Karume, polling 53.2% of the vote to CUF's Seif Sharif Hamad's 46.1% (see Presidential election results for details). The other four presidential candidates received less than 1 per cent of the vote collectively. In the House of Representatives elections, CCM polled 52% of the popular vote, but secured 30 seats (61.2%) in the House, with CUF polling 45.1% of the votes, and receiving 19 seats (or 38.8% of the seats in the House. See House of Representatives election results for details). No other party won a seat in the House of Representatives.