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Karume floors Hamad, again
2005-11-02 08:08:33
By Guardian Reporters, Zanzibar
Incumbent, Amani Abeid Karume, retained the Zanzibar presidency after seeing off five other contestants, who included his perennial nemesis Civic United Front’s (CUF), Seif Shariff Hamad.
The results of the Sunday’s polls that were announced by Zanzibar Electoral Commission chairman Masauni Yussuf Masauni, gave Karume victory by 53.2 per cent or 239,832 out of the 460,581 votes cast.
Hamad’s tally was 207,773 votes or 46 per cent of votes cast.
Tanzanians and the international community waited with baited breathe for the results as both CCM and CUF candidates claimed that they had won by a landslide margin.
After announcing the results, Masauni said Karume would be sworn in today.
This is the second time that Karume has defeated Hamad. The latter first lost in the 2000 elections, which CUF disputed on the grounds that they were rigged in CCM’s favour.
However, it was the third time for Hamad to lose the presidential poll, having been trounced first in 1995 by CCM’s Salmin Amour and then in 2000 by Karume.
The other candidates (with their votes in brackets) were Hajji Mussa Kitole of Jahazi Asilia (2,110), Mariam Ahmed Omar of Sauti ya Umma (335), Simai Abdurahman Abdulla of NRA (449) and Abdallah Ali Abdallah of DP (509).
Masauni said that 9,613 votes were spoilt.
Before the announcement of the results Hamad, and his national chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Lipumba, had said that they would not to accept the results citing irregularities.
As soon as the results were announced, supporters of the party demonstrated at Michungwani area on the Isles to protest the results.
Field Force Unit paramilitary personnel moved in to quell the demonstration before it degenerated into full scale rioting.
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