Below is an article published by allAfrica.com:

Despite heavy rains on Unguja Island on Sunday [31 October 2010], hundreds of people turned out at polling centres for the historic general elections. People were already at the polling centres well before 6:00 am, to exercise their constitutional right as citizens.

President Amani Abeid Karume and his wife, Mama Shadya, were the first to cast votes at Kiembe Samaki centre. Dr Karume looked jovial and waved happily at the people who were around.

He only spent a few minutes at the centre before he was driven home as directed by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC). Former Kiembe Samaki Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Omar Yusuf Mzee, who did not contest for the seat this year [2010], and his wife cast their votes at the same station.

He said he was shocked to see a big turnout of women in his constituency this year. He lauded CCM and CUF leaders for avoiding insults during the campaigns. The former MP said insults would have instigated the people to cause chaos on the polling day.

"If Zanzibaris decide, they can" said Mr Mzee, confidently [affirming] that Zanzibar was now entering a new political era.

Mr Mzee said since the country re-introduced multiparty system in early 1990s, political parties, especially CCM and CUF sensitised women to take part in the elections. In all polling stations that 'Daily News' visited, women outnumbered men.

For example, in all areas visited in the morning hours including Stone Town, Kiembe Samaki, Jang'ombe, Kwa Mchina and Bububu, many people especially women were calmly waiting for their turn to cast votes.

At Kiembe Samaki, Room One Election Officer Ms Hadija Mohamed said the situation had been calm and there were no irregularity cases reported until mid-afternoon yesterday. The same situation was reported by Jamillah Hamis Mohamed at Jang'ombe polling station.

However, the situation was different at Malindi polling station, where a CUF agent, Mr Abdallah Seleman Omar, tendered a complaint, saying that poll officers at the same station were doing their work unprofessionally.

"I have witnessed poll officers stamping ballot papers on a wrong side and this could render the ballot papers null and void during the counting exercise" said Mr Omar, adding that he had informed relevant authorities about the problem and they had vowed to address it immediately.

At Rahaleo, Chumbuni, Kinyasini, Kitope, Donge, and Mkwajuni, returning officers from both Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) and National Electoral commission said: "It was a smooth exercise."

However, the ZEC director, Mr Salum Kassim Ali, confirmed that more wards in Pemba and Unguja could not vote because of either misallocation of ballot papers or just lack of ballot papers.

Mr Juma Sanani, the Civic United Front (CUF) election director, said that in some constituencies there were also shortage and lack of ballot papers for union Parliament by mid-day. Party fans were already gathering in small groups in Stone Town waiting for the results expected to start flowing last night.