As part of that effort, the president held talks with the Isles presidential candidate on CUF ticket, Mr Seif Sharif Hamad, in Dar es Salaam yesterday in which they agreed that all concerned parties should take part in the dialogue.
Mr Hamad, who is also the party’s Secretary General and Zanzibar First Vice-President and Mr Kikwete met for almost an hour at the State House in the city. “The two leaders met at the State House to discuss the political situation in Zanzibar at the request of Mr Hamad,” according to a statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communications.
The islands have been thrown into uncertainty after the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) nullified elections for presidential and House of Representatives elections, which were held on October 25, citing a number of irregularities during the exercise.
Backed by four opposition parties under the UKAWA alliance, Mr Hamad has been locked in a hotly-contested poll with the incumbent, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein of CCM. Last Sunday, President Kikwete expressed his concern about the political and security situation in Zanzibar, stating that he has been working tirelessly and consulting widely to find an amicable and peaceful resolution to the impasse. In a statement issued to the media, the State House expressed regret on claims by Mr Hamad that his request to seek audience with President Kikwete over the matter had been turned down.
The statement clarified that the State House had not received any request from Mr Hamad seeking appointment to see the president from the Election Day in Zanzibar to the subsequent nullification of the poll.
“What President Kikwete has received are complaints by CUF about actions from some sections of the Police Force in Zanzibar and a request for him to facilitate a conversation between Mr Hamad and the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Davis Mwamunyange,” the statement read in part.
Following the complaints, President Kikwete has subsequently instructed the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ernest Mangu, to investigate the claims and report back to him. The president has also instructed his office to facilitate conversation between General Mwamunyange and CUF officials.
“While the matter remains firmly in the hands of an independent electoral body in Zanzibar, Mr Kikwete would like to express his readiness to do whatever is in his powers to regularise the situation in Zanzibar,” the statement further read. ZEC annulled polls in the Isles, citing “massive irregularities and violation of the electoral code of conduct, the situation which has created confrontation between CUF, which is the main Isles opposition party and the election management body.
/Daily News.
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