All-CCM House of Reps set to convene

Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), while CCM's presidential candidate Dr Ali Mohamed Shein (pictured)

 For the first time since the reintroduction of the multiparty system, a House of Representatives comprising only Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) members will convene here on Wednesday after the ruling party won all the House seats in a rerun election boycotted by the main opposition Civic United Front (CUF) party.

 

According to the results of the controversial March 20 poll announced by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), while CCM’s presidential candidate Dr Ali Mohamed Shein (pictured) was the runaway winner with 91.4 per cent of the total vote, the same party also emerged victorious in all 54 representative constituencies in Unguja and Pemba islands.

 

The House of Representatives secretary, Yahya Khamis Hamad, told newsmen here that re-elected President Shein has summoned all the House members to meet for the start of its 9th session on Wednesday.

 

Hamad said according to the timetable, the first duty of the elected representatives will be to elect a new Speaker – a process that has to be done even before the House members themselves are officially sworn in.

 

On Friday, CCM members here chose former Isles infrastructure and communication minister Zubeir Ali Maulid as the ruling party’s candidate for the Speaker’s seat. Maulid garnered 55 votes to defeat the incumbent veteran House Speaker, Pande Ameir Kificho, who has held the seat since 1995.

 

According to Hamad, although all the political parties involved in the election rerun had been told to submit the names of their candidates for the Speaker’s seat, only one aspirant – CCM’s Maulid - had returned candidacy forms to the House by yesterday.

 

“We gave all the parties a timeframe to pick and return the forms, but only one party has so far managed to do so,” the House secretary said.

 

He said the House will proceed with the election of a new Speaker even without the participation of other political parties in the race.

 

The elected representatives have been directed to report to the House today to be registered and provided with ID cards.

 

According to Hamad, President Shein has yet to announce when he will officially open the 9th House session.

 

Meanwhile, the CCM candidate for the House of Representatives Speaker’s seat, Zubeir Ali Maulid, has pledged to abide by the country’s laws in executing his duties if elected.

 

Speaking at the House offices here after submitting his candidacy forms and finalizing other processes, Maulid said he would strive to ensure that respect, peace and harmony is preserved in the House at all times.

 

“All will go well in the House even without opposition camp members,” he said, asserting that he possesses all the qualities outlined for the position of House Speaker.