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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Secretary-General says Zanzibar by-elections provide basis for 'further progress'

30 May 2003

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said today that the by-elections held earlier this month in Pemba, Zanzibar, in the United Republic of Tanzania, provide a basis on which the democratic process in Zanzibar can go forward. He urged those involved in the democratic process to continue with the careful progress they have been making since the General Election of October 2000.

The Secretary-General was speaking after receiving the Report of the Commonwealth Expert Team which was present for the by-elections on 18 May 2003. He said that it was clear from the Report that while there were lessons to be learned for the future, the elections provided a basis on which all concerned could move forward. Mr McKinnon noted that there had been a massive and peaceful turnout by the voters, generally the political parties had behaved responsibly, the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) had worked hard to ensure that the arrangements went smoothly and the police deserved credit for their conduct.

The Secretary-General noted that considerable progress had been made in Zanzibar in the last 18 months in building trust and confidence in the democratic process and that the seventeen by-elections held in Pemba marked a further important stage in that process.

Mr McKinnon said: "In the weeks and months to come the political parties and all others who are engaged in the democratic process in Zanzibar must continue to work together to build on the atmosphere of calm and tolerance which was so evident during these elections. Everyone involved should continue to do all they can to consolidate the positive democratic developments in Zanzibar and to ensure further progress prior to the 2005 General Elections."

The Secretary-General said that the experts had "made some suggestions for improvements regarding future elections" and that he would be offering further Commonwealth technical assistance in this context.


Note to Editors:

The full text of the Expert Team's report will be made public shortly, once it has been received by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and the President of Zanzibar, the National and Zanzibar Electoral Commissions and the political parties represented in the Zanzibar House of Representatives.

The full report will be available on the Commonwealth Secretariat web-site (www.thecommonwealth.org) from late next week. The five-person Commonwealth Expert Team was constituted in response to an invitation from the Zanzibar Electoral Commission. It was present in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania, from 13-22 May 2003.

03/37 30 May 2003
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