The Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) has announced Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi as the winner of the presidential election held on the islands.

Mwinyi, who stood on the ticket of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, extended the party’s long-standing hold on power. CCM has governed Zanzibar without interruption since independence.

Voters in the semi-autonomous archipelago, which forms part of the United Republic of Tanzania, went to the polls on Wednesday to choose their President and members of the House of Representatives.

In his victory address, Mwinyi thanked Zanzibaris for their continued trust and vowed to focus on unity, economic reform and youth employment.

–ChannelAfrica–