Civic United Front (CUF) leader and former presidential candidate Seif Sharif Hamad, reported that the Zanzibari parliament, on 23 April 2002, passed a Constitutional Amendment Act. This represents an important step towards the implementation of a reconciliation agreement signed by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the opposition CUF parties in October 2001.

The latter was seen as a breakthrough, which would hopefully bring to an end the long-standing political impasse on the semi-autonomous island chain of Zanzibar.

The passing of the 8th Constitutional Amendment Act will mean a review of the judiciary and the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), as well as the introduction of a Director of Public Prosecution. These are considered essential elements towards establishing lasting political and judiciary stability, particularly as social tensions on the island initially arose from the CCM’s widely disputed and extremely narrow general elections victory in 1995. This situation repeated itself in the subsequent elections in October 2000. In January 2001 over 20 CUF supporters were killed on Zanzibar by Tanzanian security forces, after a protest march declared illegal by the government. This political violence came as a result of the government’s failure to resolve vote rigging, intimidation and corruption – all issues pointed out by international election observers and the CUF.

Acting on behalf of the CUF, the UNPO wrote several letters to the president and government of Tanzania, as well as to the EU leadership, requesting an end to the state-sponsored violence and an unconditional commitment to free and fair elections. The UNPO also approached the UNHCR in Kenya to ask for adequate protection of Zanzibari refugees there.

The general feeling among those involved in the reconciliation process seems more positive than before, though much remains to be done to re-establish trust and mend relations.