Ruling party wins in Zanzibar

2005-11-01 11:06

Zanzibar - Zanzibar Electoral Commission declared on Tuesday that the ruling party has won a majority in Zanzibar's parliamentary elections that were marred by violence and allegations of vote rigging.

Results declared on the state-run radio say that the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or Revolutionary Party, has won 27 seats while the opposition Civic United Front has 19.

Meanwhile the leader of Zanzibar's main opposition party on Tuesday claimed victory in the hotly contested race for the presidency of the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago amid new clashes over weekend elections.

"Now, I know I am the winner," said Seif Sharif Hamad of the Civic United Front (CUF), citing unofficial results from the islands' 50 constituencies compiled by the opposition.

- AP