Zanzibar president appeals for peace

The winner of Zanzibar’s disputed election appealed for peace today as the Indian Ocean archipelago celebrated the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan after days of political violence.

“The people of Zanzibar made their choice and God blessed their choice,” President Amani Abeid Karume said in his first public address since being sworn in for a second and final term on Wednesday.

“There is no good reason for people not to respect the law.”

Karume’s main rival, Seif Shariff Hamad, says Sunday’s election was stolen. Hamad’s supporters in the Civic United Front fought running battles with police for four days before, during and after the poll in opposition strongholds in this semi-autonomous part of Tanzania.

Opposition leaders – who say two previous polls were also tainted by violence, intimidation and fraud – have promised a civil disobedience campaign similar to one that toppled the government in Ukraine last year. They plan to meet in the capital, Dar Es Salaam, on Saturday to finalise plans for mass peaceful demonstrations in Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania ahead of upcoming national elections.

The national poll and voting on the mainland had also been scheduled for Sunday, but were postponed to December 14 because of the death of a vice presidential candidate.

Karume urged political leaders to “control their followers' emotions and preach peace to them” in a speech to government and religious leaders gathered at a former palace in Zanzibar’s fabled Stone Town.

A 21-gun salute ushered in the end of Ramadan today. Residents of the largely Muslim islands wore their finest, but many opted to forgo the usual outdoor celebrations and mark the day quietly at home for fear of more violence.

A few camera-toting tourists wandered through Stone Town’s narrow alleys as anti-riot police cruised by in trucks, some armed with tear gas and gas masks.

“Today is mostly normal but you can never know,” said Nourjehan Ibrahim, a 45-year-old secretary, who planned to spend the day with friends. "Where I live, there was too much wildness.”

Clashes on the second island of Pemba killed up to nine people on both sides earlier this week, though police only confirmed two deaths – a security force member and a civilian teenager.

Security force members armed with machetes and rifles raided homes, breaking down doors, looting valuables and roughing up suspected opposition supporters, according to witnesses reached by phone.

The residents said hundreds of civilians were living rough in the bush to escape the security forces. But police said the villagers fled their homes after chasing a member of security forces who is now missing.

The US yesterday deplored the violence and urged all parties to show restraint. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called on the Tanzanian government to release the many opposition supporters arrested in recent days.

The US also backed opposition calls for an investigation into alleged electoral flaws, including multiple voting, saying it reserved judgment on the outcome.

Observers from African organisations and the Commonwealth of former British colonies said in initial assessments that the vote was generally free and fair.

Karume, whose socialist Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or Revolutionary Party, has ruled Zanzibar for more than 30 years, narrowly won re-election with 53.2% of the vote, according to official results. His party also picked up 30 of the 50 elected seats in the House of Representatives. Hamad’s Civic United Front, which promises wholesale economic reforms, won 19 seats. Results for one seat were nullified because of irregularities.

Yesterday, Karume appointed 15 members to additional seats set aside for women - nine from his party and six from the main opposition. He normally gives the opposition some of the appointed seats.