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SARDC
PARLIAMENTARIANS CALLL FOR FRESH LOOK AT ZANZIBAR POLL Updated: 31 October 2000
by Webmaster
DAR es SALAAM - Oct. 31 - Political parties and the
Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) should "urgently meet to agree on fresh
elections" following
the chaotic voting in Zanzibar Islands at the Oct. 29
elections.
The SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) observer mission issued a statement on the
Tanzanian general elections late Tuesday following a nine-hour debriefing
meeting with its 30 MPs and 24 staff who were deployed in 17 of the country's 25 regions
including Zanzibar from Oct. 23 until today.
It said the Zanzibar elections were "an admitted
failure."
While acknowledging the generally smooth elections for president, parliament and local
councils on mainland Tanzania, SADC-PF was critical of the Zanzibar poll on a number of
issues and called for the
reconstitution of ZEC in order to reinstate confidence on Pemba and Unguja islands where
reruns of the election must be held in 16 polls due to a process that "was not
conducted in an efficient and competent manner."
At a press briefing here today, the observer mission's
chairperson Geoff Doidge of South Africa and Khwauli Msiska, deputy chairperson and leader
of the team
which observed the Zanzibar voting, revealed four main recommendations which will be
included in their final report to the Parliamentary Forum, the government of the United
Republic of Tanzania and other member parliaments: Š all political parties and ZEC
should urgently meet to agree on fresh elections in accordance with the law; Š ZEC
should be reconstituted in order to restore confidence in the electoral process and in the
long run the entire
structure of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) should be re-examined; Š All
political parties should have equal access to the media and other resources to ensure a
level playing field; and Š All acts of violence should cease and an early peaceful
resolution to the current crisis found.
While Zanzibar came in for serious criticism, the forum also had some words of advice for
the mainland process which it described as "generally peaceful though there were a
number of isolated acts of intimidation." People voted freely for the party of their
own choice, SADC-PF said but identified problems in "unequal access to the media,
funding and other resources to the opposition parties."
The observers praised the voting and counting processes on the mainland. They also raised
questions about gender balance which was "maintained among electoral staff but not
candidates."
D oidge and Msiska were careful not to point fingers at individuals or even political
parties, reserving their criticism for the electoral processes on Zanzibar which occupies
more than half the statement.
Indeed, they praised the Zanzibar electorate for their
"massive and impressive turnout" on Oct. 29 despite the "tension which
prevailed before, during and after the elections." It was not conducive to
"peaceful, free and fair elections."
The statement detailed the delays in delivery of ballot
papers and polling stations which never opened.
"It is not surprising that even ZEC has admitted
failure and its capacity to organize and manage the elections fell far short of
expectations."
Perhaps the most serious observation was the forum's suggestion that, given the small
geographical area of the two populated islands which make up Zanzibar, "it is
difficult to believe that such problems were purely technical."
Pressed on this issue, Msiska said he would not point a finger at one specific institution
or individual "but the poor logistics could have been deliberate.
Our team went to see the vice-chairperson of ZEC the
night before the vote was to occur and asked him specifically about logistics. He said
everything was fine and that we should go back to our hotels and sleep well because the
election material would be in place at the proper time."
The vice-chairperson of ZEC is Hassan Said Mzee.
Doidge was also asked about the meaning of "fresh
elections" and replied that ZEC, must come to a decision urgently in full
consultation with the two opposing parties, Chama Cha Mapunduzi (CCM) which still governs
Zanzibar and the Civic United Front (CUF) which is demanding the entire Zanzibar election
be nullified and the election rerun. CCM is asking for reruns only in the 16 polls of
Zanzibar Urban West region.
"These are the extreme positions. Somehow they must be bridged so that the electorate
is best served and the process assured of being absolutely
transparent," he said.
In the meantime, the ruling CCM party under outgoing
President Salmin Amour remains in power and vote-counting for the Union President and 50
MPs to the Union parliament cannot proceed in Zanzibar. Unofficial mainland results give
CCM and President Benjamin Mkapa a huge majority.
SADC-PF was founded in 1996 as an autonomous
institution. It is an inter-parliamentary organization composed of 12 parliaments
representing 1,800
MPs in the region.
During its time in Tanzania it met with political
parties, both electoral commissions, civil society, the media monitoring project and the
Tanzania Electoral Monitoring Committee. (SARDC).
This article can be reproduced with credit to SARDC and the author
Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC)
P O Box 5690, Harare Zimbabwe
Tel: (2634) 738694-6 Fax: 738693
Email: sardc@sardc.net
Website: www.sardc.net/sd/elections2000
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