Zitto retains ACT position, Seif elected new chairman
What you need to know:
The elections saw to politician Juma Duni Haji being voted in as the vice chairman (Zanzibar), and acting secretary general Dorothy Semu elected vice chairman (Mainland)
Dar es Salaam. ACT-Wazalendo members of the general meeting have re-elected Zitto Kabwe as ‘party leader,’ and the veteran politician in Zanzibar politics, Seif Shariff Hamad, as the party’s new chairman.
In the elections, Zanzibar’s firebrand politician Juma Duni Haji was voted vice chairman (Zanzibar), while the party’s acting secretary general, Ms Dorothy Semu, was chosen vice chairperson (Mainland).
Announcing the results yesterday, the party’s election committee chairman, Mr Omar Said Shabaan, said 367 votes were deemed valid out of the 375 ballots cast.
“Mr Kabwe collected 276 ballots out of the 367 valid votes - equivalent to 73.6 percent - while Mr Hamad garnered 337 votes, equal to 93.30 percent,” he said.
In the event, Mr Kabwe defeated Mr Ismail Jussa who got 91 votes, which was 24.2 percent of the valid votes cast.
Mr Hamad emerged victorious against Nyangaki Shilungushela who got four votes. This is equivalent to 1.10 percent, of the valid votes that were cast. Former party chairman Yeremia Maganja collected 20 votes, equivalent to 5.55 percent of the total valid votes.
He said Ms Semu collected 267 votes - which is equivalent to 71.4 percent of the cast votes - defeating Ms Mary Mongi who gathered 13 votes; Mr Juma Mkumbi (23 votes) and Mr Edgar Mkosamali (61 votes).
“No opponent from Zanzibar appeared to challenge Mr Haji. Therefore, Mr Haji garnered 354 votes - which is equivalent to 98.4 percent - to become the party’s vice chairman for Zanzibar,” he said.
In his vote of thanks, Mr Kabwe said the party demonstrated that there were no cracks that would split it asunder.
“We are still united - something that has sent the message that we are still united.
“No divisions in terms of a member’s origin regarding both sides of the union (Zanzibar and Mainland) or between former members and those who joined the party” recently, he said.
The general meeting that will be closed today is the culmination of the intra-party elections processes that commenced on January 27, 2020.
During the processes, the opposition political party also elected leaders of the youth, women and elders groupings.
The party will also vote for 15 members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and eight members of the Central Committee (CC).
