ACT-Wazalendo announces intent to exit from government of national unity
What you need to know:
- The decision comes after what the party describes as a lack of progress on key reforms that were agreed upon between both sides
Dar es Salaam. ACT Wazalendo, the main opposition political party in Zanzibar, has announced its intent to withdraw from the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The decision comes after what the party describes as a lack of progress on key reforms that were agreed upon between both sides.
According to a statement released by ACT Wazalendo's Central Committee, the party is disappointed by the slow pace of implementing the reform agenda.
The party’s General Secretary, Mr Ado Shaibu, said three core proposals remain unaddressed by Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi.
“These include compensation for victims of the 2020 general election, the establishment of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate human rights violations during the 2020 elections, and reforms to Zanzibar's electoral system,” he said.
The statement acknowledges that some detainees arrested after the 2020 elections have been released.
However, ACT Wazalendo maintains that this is the only fulfilment of their initial agreements with President Mwinyi before joining the GNU.
The party's National Executive Committee (NEC) has instructed its leadership to meet both Union President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the President of Zanzibar, Dr Mwinyi.
The meeting aims to formally communicate the ACT Wazalendo's planned withdrawal and discuss the implications of their decision on the future of the GNU.
In November 2023, the then-party leader Zitto Kabwe said that ACT Wazalendo would evaluate the GNU’s three years, saying they were going to take stock because most of the issues that were agreed upon in the reconciliatory process have not been implemented.
“The GNU has succeeded in fostering calmness in the Isles, but there remains a noticeable gap in the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar's (RGZ) commitment to addressing certain outstanding issues,” he said.
“We don’t want a repeat of the same circle of violence that has been happening during each of the past elections,” said Mr Kabwe.
The GNU was established in 2010 after a referendum that gave way to constitutional changes in the Isles.
