Zanzibar's newly-elected President Ali Mohamed Shein (left) is sworn in
by Judge Omar Othman Makungu (right) at a ceremony in Stone Town,
Zanzibar, on March 24, 2016. President Shein is preparing to inaugurate
the new parliament with all 54 members being from the ruling party Chama
cha Mapinduzi, as international players call for a new peace accord to
save the Isles from possible violence. AFP PHOTO | DANIEL HAYDUK
By Erick Kabendera and Christopher Kidanka
In Summary
- Political analysts say leaving CUF, which has been a powerful opposition force in the past 20 years out of the country’s politics could have serious repercussions on democracy and peace.
- A statement released by 16 High Commissioners and ambassadors to Tanzania on Tuesday condemned the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) decision to proceed with the election without CUF.
- Analysts now warn that failure to address the non-representation of CUF in parliament could increase calls for cessation and encourage more youth to join radical groups.
Zanzibar’s re-elected President Mohammed Shein is preparing
to inaugurate the new parliament with all 54 members being from the
ruling party Chama cha Mapinduzi, as international players call for a
new peace accord to save the Isles from possible violence.
After the main opposition Civic United Front (CUF) boycotted the election re-run of March 20, CCM won in all constituencies.
The Zanzibar Constitution allows the president to nominate 10
MPs and it is widely expected that some of the presidential contestants
from seven political parties are likely to get seats in the House of
Representatives.
Political analysts say leaving CUF, which has been a powerful
opposition force in the past 20 years out of the country’s
politics could have serious repercussions on democracy and peace.
A statement released by 16 High Commissioners and ambassadors to
Tanzania on Tuesday condemned the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC)
decision to proceed with the election without CUF.
The diplomats said reconciliation talks were inevitable to
ensure that Zanzibar remained peaceful as the current situation could
lead to a serious breach of security as long as CUF remained a strong
political influence with support from across both Pemba and Zanzibar.
CUF also harbours dissenting opinion on the current structure of
the Union between Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar,
and advocates a ‘Contract Union’ and a more sovereign Zanzibar.
Nicodemus Minde, a political consultant in Tanzania, said the
majority of the Zanzibar people want a more equitable Union and
increased stakes for Zanzibar. He sees a strong possibility of
Zanzibaris voting against the proposed constitution in a referendum.
Chris Peter Maina, a constitutional law professor from the University of Dar es Salaam told The EastAfrican that being out of government would deny CUF a platform from which to pursue greater autonomy for Zanzibar.
“The party will have limited political space to pursue its
agenda. CCM is uncomfortable with the proposal of ‘Contract
Union’ because it goes contrary to the letter and the spirit of the
Articles of Union of 1964, while some people believe a Union by contract
is the first step towards winding up the Union once the contract comes
to an end,” said Prof Maina.
In the 2010 elections, CUF had 18 representatives from all Pemba
constituencies and four from Zanzibar while the remaining 28 were from
CCM.
However, in the disputed October election, CUF claimed to have
won all the constituencies in Pemba and nine in Zanzibar, which has been
the CCM stronghold. The number of constituencies in Zanzibar had been
increased to 36, bringing the total number of MPs from the two islands
to 54.
Benson Bana, a political scientist at the University of Dar es
Salaam said that even if CUF was to be part of the government of
national unity, the party’s Secretary General, Seif Hamad — who was also
first Vice President in the previous government — has been too critical
of the government making an all-inclusive government difficult.
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