Zanzibar opposition warns of violence if govt holds re-vote

The main opposition leader in Tanzania’s semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago warned that violence could erupt if the government holds a re-vote in an election that was annulled and called for dialogue to resolve the dispute.

Tanzania has been one of Africa’s most politically stable nations but Zanzibar has been a hotbed of opposition to central government, with strong secessionist and Islamist voices. Votes on the islands are usually closely fought and often disputed.

Tanzania held national presidential and parliamentary elections on Oct. 25, which included a vote for the president of Zanzibar and members of its house of representatives.

The election commission annulled the Zanzibar presidential vote citing “gross violations”. The opposition Civic United Front (CUF) rejected this, saying it won the poll.

“A re-vote is not a solution to the ongoing crisis and is not acceptable,” Zanzibar’s Second Vice-President Seif Sharrif Hamad, CUF’s presidential candidate, told a news conference.

“Any decision to hold fresh elections would lead to violence,” said Hamad, calling for talks and proposing a coalition government for Zanzibar that included Tanzania’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party but under CUF leadership.

“A re-run of the election is a desperate attempt by the ruling party to gain political legitimacy after losing the election,” he said, adding that several rounds of talks so far with the ruling party had failed to end the stand-off.

Government officials were not immediately available to comment.

CCM, which swept the national presidential and parliamentary polls, has supported a re-run. But Tanzania’s new president, John Magufuli, has promised to work with leaders from both sides of the conflict in Zanzibar to resolve the impasse.

No formal date for a new poll has been announced although Hamad said he understood it could be on Feb. 28. The commission had initially said it would hold a re-run within 90 days.