SEIF Sharif Hamad, Zanzibar’s opposition presidential candidate, has been arrested this afternoon. He was walking, toward the offices of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), which is preparing to announce the winner.
Preliminary unofficial results show Hamad leading with 53.6% of the total votes against 44% of Dr Hussein Mwinyi.
He was accompanied by fellow leaders, members of the central committee of ACT-Wazalendo, Zanzibar’s main opposition party. When they reached Michenzani area, Hamad, Juma Duni and Ismail Jussa were stopped by police who put them under arrest.
Their arrest has created tension. Police have blocked many roads in Zanzibar in an attempt to stop his supporters from protesting. There is a strong presence of armed forces and tankers in all highways and on the streets. In this video, a group of military officers are brutalising a passerby.
