Zanzibar police say to escort voters in elections
Police officers on patrol in Pemba yesterday. Zanzibaris go to the polls tomorrow. PHOTO | ANTHONY SIAME
What you need to know:
- Ballot boxes and papers were yesterday collected from the commission’s head office by the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces for distribution.
- CCM’s Pemba South Regional Secretary Kassim Mabrouk said the party had mobilised its supporters to turn out in big numbers for voting.
- CUF’s director for Planning and Elections, Mr Omari Ali Shehe, is optimistic that the party members and supporters will boycott the polls.
Zanzibar. Police here have promised to escort those wishing to vote in tomorrow’s polls, if the need arises.
Urban West Regional Police Commander Mkadam Khamis Mkadam told The Citizen on Saturday that security would be maintained.
Police officers will be stationed inside polling stations and within 200 metres from the stations, he said. “There are a lot of threats. If anyone wants to vote and thinks his or her life is in danger, he or she can reach us and we will escort the person to the polling station and back home. We have furnished the public with our telephone numbers.”
According to him, patrols will be intensified in some areas based on the past election experience. “Some areas are notorious for political violence. We will ensure that everything is contained and based on our preparations it is our hope that the situation will be under control.”
Speaking on the arrests of senior officials of opposition Civic United Front (CUF), he said that was in line with police efforts to restore order ahead of the polls. “We want some vital security information from them. We are questioning them on a number of issues including recent bomb blasts.”
Those who are under police custody include CUF’s acting director of Communications and Publicity, Mr Hamad Masoud Hamad, who was arrested on Wednesday, and Mr Mansour Yusuf Himid who was arrested on Thursday.
Mr Himid is an advisor to CUF Secretary General Seif Shariff Hamad. The two are locked up alongside other 42 CUF supporters.
CUF Deputy Secretary General (Zanzibar) Nassor Ahmed Mazrui told journalists that the arrests of the two leaders were the continuation of harassment and intimidation since the party declared that it would not take part in the poll rerun.
“Zanzibaris elected their leaders in October last year. We’re in a difficult situation, but history throughout the world indicates that struggles are not easy. Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi were subjected to difficulties but they later triumphed. We believe that one day we will triumph in our cause,” he said.
Meanwhile, a coalition of eight small opposition parties — NRA, DP, Jahazi Asilia,Chaumma, UPDP, UMD, Demokrasia Makini and SAU — has maintained that it will boycott the rerun.
In a joint news conference in Stone Town yesterday, the coalition said it would not stop people from going to the polls but they should not vote for the eight parties.
“ZEC [Zanzibar Electoral Commission] refused to withdraw the names of our candidates from the ballot papers but that does not mean that we’re participating in the polls,” said Chaumma Deputy Chairman Mohammed Masoud Rashid.
Zanzibar has been tense since the ZEC annulled the October 25 elections just three days after they were held. ZEC Chairman Jecha Salim Jecha cited “massive irregularities” as the reason of the nullification.
March 20 was announced as a fresh date for the election rerun.
Three parties — CCM, AFP and Tadea — have confirmed their participation in the rerun.
Presidential candidates Hamad Rashid Mohammed and Khamis Lilla of ADC and ACT-Wazalendo respectively have confirmed their participation but their parties have disowned them. An official in charge of the ZEC sub-office in Pemba, Mr Ali Mohamed Dadi, yesterday said clerks had been selected and voting materials had been received ready for distribution to 460 polling stations in all four districts.
