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Tanzania election: Zanzibar vote annulled after fight | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Elections in Zanzibar have been annulled for not being free and fair, the electoral chief on the Tanzanian archipelago has announced. | |
Rows between rival electoral commissioners had led to physical fights, Jecha Salum Jecha said. | |
The majority of his other criticisms were levelled at Pemba island, including an accusation of vote tampering. | |
Tanzanians voted in local and national elections on Sunday. | |
The elections in Tanzania are the most competitive in the country's history, with four opposition parties forming the Ukawa coalition to challenge the ruling CCM's 54-year grip on power. | |
Ukawa's national presidential candidate Edward Lowassa said discrepancies in Zanzibar's local elections could be mirrored in the national vote. | Ukawa's national presidential candidate Edward Lowassa said discrepancies in Zanzibar's local elections could be mirrored in the national vote. |
Earlier, he called for the national electoral commission to stop releasing results, alleging the whole process nationwide had been marred by fraud. | Earlier, he called for the national electoral commission to stop releasing results, alleging the whole process nationwide had been marred by fraud. |
He urged his supporters to remain calm and not to engage in street protests. | |
Previous elections have turned violent on Zanzibar, which is made up of the islands of Unguja and Pemba. | |
'Agents ejected from polling stations' | 'Agents ejected from polling stations' |
In his statement, Mr Jecha accused Zanzibari electoral commissioners of being partisan. | In his statement, Mr Jecha accused Zanzibari electoral commissioners of being partisan. |
More votes had been cast in some areas than the registered number of voters, especially in Pemba, where some party agents had been ejected from polling stations, Mr Jecha said. | More votes had been cast in some areas than the registered number of voters, especially in Pemba, where some party agents had been ejected from polling stations, Mr Jecha said. |
It is unclear if and when new elections for the president and parliament of the archipelago will be held. | |
Analysis: Sammy Awami, BBC News, Zanzibar: | |
Never before has an election in Zanzibar - a popular tourist destination - been scrapped. So we are entering uncharted waters. | |
And yet, this election - unlike previous ones - has not been marred by riots and violence. | |
There was, however, some tension, which led to the closure of roads and businesses. | |
On Monday, the main opposition candidate for the post of Zanzibar president, Maalim Seif Sharrif Hamad, declared himself the winner. | |
His announcement attracted sharp rebuke from the governing CCM party, which called it illegal and a threat to the archipelago's stability. | |
But life was returning to normal when the archipelago's electoral commission chairman made the shock announcement that he was scrapping the poll because it was full of gross irregularities. | |
At that point results from only 18 of the 54 constituencies have been released. | |
More on Zanzibar | |
Tanzania's tightly contested election: | Tanzania's tightly contested election: |
Could CCM lose? | Could CCM lose? |
Money, power and politics | Money, power and politics |