{"id":727,"date":"2015-10-28T19:29:17","date_gmt":"2015-10-28T16:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/somalionlinemedia.com\/?p=727"},"modified":"2015-10-28T19:29:17","modified_gmt":"2015-10-28T16:29:17","slug":"tanzania-election-zanzibar-vote-annulled-after-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/faafitv.com\/?p=727","title":{"rendered":"Tanzania election: Zanzibar vote annulled after fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"zanzibar\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: BBC\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Elections in Zanzibar have been annulled for not being free and fair, the electoral chief on the Tanzanian archipelago has announced.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rows between rival electoral commissioners had led to physical fights, Jecha Salum Jecha said.<\/p>\n

The majority of his other criticisms were levelled at Pemba island, including an accusation of vote tampering.<\/p>\n

Tanzanians voted in local and national elections on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Ukawa’s national presidential candidate Edward Lowassa said discrepancies in Zanzibar’s local elections could be mirrored in the national vote.<\/p>\n

Earlier, he called for the national electoral commission to stop releasing results, alleging the whole process nationwide had been marred by fraud.<\/p>\n

He urged his supporters to remain calm and not to engage in street protests.<\/p>\n

Previous elections have turned violent on Zanzibar, which is made up of the islands of Unguja and Pemba.<\/p>\n

‘Agents ejected from polling stations’<\/h2>\n

In his statement, Mr Jecha accused Zanzibari electoral commissioners of being partisan.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It is unclear if and when new elections for the president and parliament of the archipelago will be held.<\/p>\n

ever before has an election in Zanzibar – a popular tourist destination – been scrapped. So we are entering uncharted waters.<\/p>\n

And yet, this election – unlike previous ones – has not been marred by riots and violence.<\/p>\n

There was, however, some tension, which led to the closure of roads and businesses.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the main opposition candidate for the post of Zanzibar president, Maalim Seif Sharrif Hamad, declared himself the winner.<\/p>\n

His announcement attracted sharp rebuke from the governing CCM party, which called it illegal and a threat to the archipelago’s stability.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

At that point results from only 18 of the 54 constituencies have been released.<\/p>\n

More on Zanzibar<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Tanzania’s tightly contested election:<\/strong><\/p>\n