Khamis Mbeto Khamis, the Secretary of the Special Committee of the NEC, which handles Ideology, Propaganda, and Training, has warned the ACT Wazalendo party not to interfere with the voter registration process by stopping people from registering in the Mjini Magharibi 'B' region.
Speaking in Unguja today, Mbeto said he had received reports that some ACT Wazalendo youth were blocking people from going to register to vote.
He added that law enforcement should take action against the ACT Wazalendo leaders, as their actions were disturbing peace and making it harder for people to register.
“CCM is closely watching this situation and we are informing the public to ask security forces to step in and make sure these actions stop. These problems should not continue in Mjini and Magharibi regions,” he said.
Mbeto warned ACT Wazalendo to stop blocking people, threatening them, and causing trouble at registration centers by trying to force ineligible people to register. This goes against Section 15 of Law No. 4 of 2018, which explains who is allowed to register according to the Zanzibar Election Commission rules.
“I urge everyone to go out and register in large numbers. We also ask the police and other authorities to make sure ACT Wazalendo groups are not stopping people from using their democratic right to register and vote,” Mbeto added.
Mbeto said his comments were in response to disturbances caused by ACT Wazalendo supporters today, March 3, 2025, at different locations in Magharibi 'B', where they were trying to stop people from registering.
He said that ACT Wazalendo leaders, traveling in a silver Prado vehicle with the registration number Z 280 FQ, had been going around trying to persuade people not to register in Magharibi 'B'.
In another case, at the Mbweni health center, ACT Wazalendo member Sabah Khamis Abdallah was found preventing people from registering, which goes against the Zanzibar Election Commission’s rules.
Mbeto also pointed out that the former CUF Minister, who is now with ACT Wazalendo, Abdilah Jihad Hassa, was trying to stop people from registering at the Small Industries Center.
Earlier, on March 1, 2025, Abubakar Hussein Said, the Secretary of the Magufuli branch of CCM, was attacked by an ACT Wazalendo member, who hit him on the head with a stick.
The incident happened around 5 a.m. at the CCM branch in Uholanzi after Said refused to stop when asked by ACT Wazalendo supporters while he was taking a pregnant woman to a registration center.
“ACT Wazalendo’s Welezo Constituency Secretary Salum Kipara has also been stopping people from registering. He started this in Magharibi 'A' and now continues in Magharibi 'B'," said Mbeto.
Mbeto also criticized ACT Wazalendo for threatening to sue Sadifa Juma Khamis, the District Commissioner of Magharibi 'A', for arresting ACT Wazalendo youths who gathered too close to a voter registration center.
He pointed out that the law clearly says that people who are not part of the registration process should stay at least 200 meters away from the center.
Mbeto explained that according to Law No. 4 of 2018, Section 15, only election officers, local leaders (Sh centers.ehas), party agents, police, and official observers with special badges are allowed near registration