11:39
Zanzibar.
The Commonwealth has appointed former President Goodluck Jonathan to lead the
charge for the resolution of the political stalemate in the semi-independent
island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania United Republic.
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| Goodluck Jonathan |
After the October 25 general election which produced John Magufuli as the new President of Tanzania, the Jonathan-led COG and other international observers had endorsed the polling processes as credible. The appointment followed his highly acclaimed leadership of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to last month’s Tanzania general election.
The government made the nullification of the election results
in October even after strong opposition and criticism from the opposition.
Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) cited violations of the electoral law as
reason for the nullification.
The new appointment was conveyed to Jonathan last week in a letter sent to him by the Commonwealth Secretary General, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma. Jonathan’s new appointment as Commonwealth Special
representative is seen as an affirmation of the former President’s towering
status as the moral face of democracy and transparent polling in Africa.
Jonathan has now been drafted in to quell the tension
brewing on the island of Zanzibar, following the nullification of the
presidential election results by the local electoral body, citing
irregularities.
International observers have continued to dispute the
decision, on the grounds that both the voting and counting processes were held
in an atmosphere of peace.
