Tanzania’s Zanzibar Re-elects Mwinyi as President for Second Term
(MENAFN) Zanzibar, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago, has re-elected Hussein Ali Mwinyi for a second term as president, official results released Thursday night show. The announcement comes as unrest intensifies in Dar es Salaam following contested general elections.
Figures from the islands’ electoral commission, ZEC, indicate that Mwinyi, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party candidate, secured 74.8% of the vote, defeating ten opposition challengers. His nearest competitor, Othman Masoud Othman, garnered 23.22%.
Zanzibar merged with mainland Tanganyika in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania after achieving independence from Britain in 1963 and 1961, respectively. The CCM has held power since the union. While Zanzibar maintains its own president, cabinet, and House of Representatives, national portfolios such as defense and foreign affairs remain under the central government in Dodoma.
Mwinyi, first sworn in 2020, ran on a platform emphasizing tourism recovery, infrastructure improvements, and a “blue economy” initiative covering seaweed, fisheries, and marine services.
Opposition parties, however, alleged “massive fraud” in Zanzibar’s results and vowed to take action, media reported.
Protests have erupted across Tanzania after most major opposition candidates were disqualified or jailed. The government has also blocked internet access, but demonstrators defied curfews and bans on gatherings.
In Dar es Salaam, crowds protested as President Samia Suluhu Hassan pursued her first full mandate in Wednesday’s election. Hassan, who assumed office in March 2021 after former President John Magufuli’s death, faced only 16 candidates from smaller parties, as her two main rivals were barred from running.
On the third day of demonstrations in Dar es Salaam, large groups clashed with police, calling on the electoral authority to halt announcements, media reported. Youths protested alleged harassment of opposition leaders, and several vehicles, a gas station, and police stations were set on fire.
Authorities have imposed curfews, deployed military forces, and restricted internet access in multiple regions. Amnesty International stated that two people, including one police officer, have died and several others sustained injuries due to the “unlawful use of lethal force against protesters,” with dozens more arrested.
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