Large turnout in Zanzibar elections as tension persists

Zanzibar. Voting on the second day yesterday in Zanzibar saw a large turnout as the Islanders sought to make their voice heard in the election which will usher in a new president.

Unguja and Pemba islands were the centre of the voting with the nearly 500,000 registered voters expected to cast their votes. Voting in Zanzibar started on Tuesday with special groups such as soldiers and other security agents as well as poll officials.

Voting opened smoothly in the morning and despite rains in some areas, voters patiently waited in the long queues to cast their ballots. The main opposition party, ACT-Wazalendo and the ruling party CCM were the main contenders in the race.

Tension has preceded the voting in the two days with sporadic cases of violence reported both in Unguja and Pemba. ACT-Wazalendo has claimed the police shot dead 10 people in the skirmishes with several others seriously injured. Authorities are yet to confirm the said number of fatalities but Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro on Tuesday only said they had arrested scores of protestors who clashed with the police.

The tense situation was palpable even yesterday as the voters went about the exercise. Unconfirmed reports last evening said there were fresh eruption of skirmishes in Nungwi area and reporters on the ground reported hearing shots from a far. There has been a heavy contingent of armed forces in the isle ahead of the voting and their vehicles could be seen patrolling the streets.

Earlier the top contenders Dr Hussein Mwinyi of CCM and Mr Seif Shariff Hamad of ACT-Wazalendo cast their votes and each expressed satisfaction with the way they had been handled at the polling centres.

The Union vice president Samia Suluhu Hassan also voted in Zanzibar as were several other aspirants including Salim Mwalimu who is the running mate for Chadema’s Tundu Lissu in the Union joint ticket.

Speaking at Kariakoo Polling Station, Dr Mwinyi said he was optimistic he would win but added he was also ready to accept a defeat by his competitors. His main rival Mr Hamad also exuded confidence in the outcome and asked CCM to accept the people’s verdict. He also asked the Zanzibar Electoral Commission to ensure the will of the people was respected.

Mwinyi who is the son of former president Ali Hassan Mwinyi was accompanied during the voting by his wife and arrived at about 8.30am. He toured several other voting centres before leaving.

“My hope is that the people have heard our policies and that of other parties for them to make an informed choice when voting. I am optimistic about the results,” said Dr Mwinyi.

For his part, Mr Hamad said he was satisfied with the voting process in a few areas he visited. He said: “If this calm continues in many areas of the Isles I am confident the people of Zanzibar will elect me as their next president.”

Mr Hamad who was detained by the police on Tuesday for eight hours before being released on bond voted at the Garagara polling station in Unguja. His arrest was not explained by the police but it was linked to his opposition to the early voting on the same day which he said was a plot to rig the vote in favour of CCM.

Yesterday the ACT-Wazalendo candidate complained that some of their agents were ejected from the polling centres on Tuesday as a ploy in the plot to stuff boxes with fake votes. ZEC has in the past refuted claims the early voting was to rig the vote.

Outgoing president Dr Ali Mohamed Shein voted at Bungi Primary School and said his successor would lead the isle in the right direction.

Chadema’s Mwalimu also lamented about the manner in which security personnel and ZEC handled the matter of opposition parties’ right to have agents monitor the polling process.

“And this matter is not only in Zanzibar as reports in the Mainland also show a similar trend. It is an indication of fear of defeat by our rivals in CCM,” said Mwalimu.

The VP Ms Suluhu Hassan said she had been impressed by the huge turnout by the people. She attributed the response to the smooth campaigns by the candidates.

Former Vice president Mohammed Gharib Bilal voted at Kiembe samaki at around 11am.