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Prof Othman hails ruling on independent candidates
2006-05-09 09:08:11
By A Correspondent
Prof Haroub Othman, chairman of rights group Zanzibar Legal Services Centre has called the ruling to allow independent candidates to contest presidential and parliamentary polls for the first time in county’s history ’a plausible move towards democratisation’.
Opposition and rights groups have welcomed a decision.
The ruling should widen the playing field in a political arena dominated by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM or Party of the Revolution) for nearly half a century.
The High Court made its ruling on Friday following a suit by Christopher Mtikila, chairman of the Democratic Party, one of many opposition parties which have failed to end CCM hegemony since multi-party politics was allowed in 1992.
Opposition politicians and civil groups called the ruling a step forward and urged the government not to challenge it before the next elections, due in 2010.
’It is a plausible move towards democratisation,’ said Prof Othman.
The Democratic Party’s Mtikila said he now wanted to sue the government officials responsible for enacting the ban on independents in the first place.
’These people should pay the price of interfering with the democratic process in the country,’ he said.
In another ruling, welcomed by Tanzanian rights groups, the High Court last month banned the practice of giving tips and gifts to entertain candidates during elections.
The habit was believed to encourage corruption.
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