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Unrest Feared as Zanzibar Local Elections Are Annulled Unrest Feared as Zanzibar Local Elections Are Annulled
(about 3 hours later)
NAIROBI, Kenya — Officials on Zanzibar, a semiautonomous island that is part of Tanzania, announced Wednesday that they were annulling results from the local elections held over the weekend, citing voter fraud, improper interference and fistfights between election commissioners. NAIROBI, Kenya — Major election complications cropped up on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar on Wednesday, and the main opposition party on the mainland called for a recount as Tanzania’s election limbo stretched into its third day.
The annulment will not affect the results of Tanzania’s presidential election, held on Sunday, officials said; tallies from Zanzibar for that race are still part of the nationwide total. The opposition party in Zanzibar, Civic United Front, which is allied with the opposition on the mainland, claimed victory in the local races this week, and some supporters say officials annulled those results solely to prevent them from winning. Observers had predicted that Sunday’s elections would be the closest and possibly most fraught in Tanzania’s history. Tanzania is considered one of the most peaceful nations in Africa, led by essentially the same political party since independence more than 50 years ago.
The mood is growing increasingly tense in Tanzania as the nation of 53 million waits to learn who won the presidential race. Votes are being slowly counted, with more than half tabulated in the last three days, and so far the governing party’s presidential candidate, John Magufuli, is comfortably ahead of his closest rival, Edward Lowassa, a wealthy former prime minister. But many Tanzanians are growing tired of that party, and already there have been worrisome signs. Ballot papers were burned by a furious mob in western Tanzania on Sunday. On Monday, opposition officials said scores of their volunteers were rounded up and arrested.
There were no signs of unrest on the island on Wednesday afternoon, but officials fear that if protests by discontented voters erupt, they could spread to the mainland. Voters on Zanzibar choose their own president and House of Representatives; results from those races were canceled, and officials said they would hold new elections in Zanzibar in 90 days. And on Wednesday, officials on Zanzibar, a semiautonomous island that is favorite European holiday spot with miles of soft, white sand, suddenly declared election results from all local races void. The opposition had seemed poised to sweep those races, and though the decision to hold fresh local elections does not affect the nationwide presidential tally, observers said it was sure to raise already percolating tensions both in Zanzibar and on the mainland.
“The next 48 hours will determine what direction we go, whether we go forward or backwards,” said Mazo Kundayo, an opposition supporter who runs a small hotel in the northern city of Arusha. “I think they should cancel this election for the entire country. If it’s canceled then I don’t think there will be protests, but if it’s not, I don’t know what will happen.” Zanzibar has always been the most volatile part of Tanzania, with an at times uneasy federation with the mainland, and elections have turned violent in the past.
Zanzibar may be prized in tourist circles for its white-sand beaches and old-fashioned dhow sailboats cutting across the sea. But it is the most politically volatile part of Tanzania, with a history of election-related riots and killings. “The next 48 hours will determine what direction we go, whether we go forward or backwards,” said Mazo Kundayo, an opposition supporter who runs a small hotel in the mainland city of Arusha. “I think they should cancel this election for the entire country. If it’s canceled then I don’t think there will be protests, but if it’s not, I don’t know what will happen.”
Many towns in Tanzania on Wednesday looked like they do on a quiet Sunday. Business was down to a trickle with shops and schools closed as the country remained suspended in election limbo. Mr. Magufuli, a chemist by training and the minister of public works, has 60 percent of the votes in early counts to Mr. Lowassa’s 40 percent. Many people fear that the opposition is gearing up for protests as soon as the final result is announced, expected on Thursday. Mr. Lowassa’s party has already laid the groundwork, accusing election officials of vote-rigging, though opposition leaders have yet to provide detailed evidence. The American Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of Tanzania, said it was “gravely alarmed” by the annulment of Zanzibar’s voting results. “This action halted an orderly and peaceful election,” the embassy said in an unusually strongly worded statement. “We call for this announcement to be recalled.”
The voting itself proceeded mostly smoothly on Sunday against the backdrop of a race widely considered the most heavily contested and potentially turbulent in Tanzania’s history. The ruling party, the Party of the Revolution, has been in power for more than 50 years, and many people accuse it of being deeply corrupt. Still, it has an extensive network of party functionaries across the country, especially in impoverished rural areas. Officials on Zanzibar said they had to annul the elections, for the local president and House of Representatives, because of voter fraud, improper interference and fistfights between election commissioners. Another election will be held in 90 days, officials said.
Nationwide, votes from the presidential election continue to be counted, with more than half tabulated in the last three days. So far the governing party’s candidate, John Magufuli, is comfortably ahead of his closest rival, Edward Lowassa, a wealthy former prime minister.
On Wednesday, many towns in Tanzania looked like they do on a quiet Sunday. Business was down to a trickle with shops and schools closed as the country remained suspended in election limbo. Mr. Magufuli, a chemist by training and the minister of public works, has 60 percent of the vote in early counting to Mr. Lowassa’s 40 percent.
Many people fear that the opposition is gearing up for protests as soon as the final result is announced, expected on Thursday. Mr. Lowassa’s party has already laid the groundwork, accusing election officials of vote-rigging.
On Wednesday, Mr. Lowassa demanded that the vote counting be stopped and started afresh “due to huge irregularities.”
Though Tanzania’s governing party, the Party of the Revolution, was formed in 1977, it is widely considered an extension of the same political party that led Tanzania to independence in the 1960s. Many Tanzanians accuse it of being deeply corrupt. Still, it has an extensive network of party functionaries across the country, especially in impoverished rural areas.