Zanzibar President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, has reappointed ACT-Wazalendo chairman Othman Masoud Othman as the First Vice President of Zanzibar.
The appointment takes effect on September 18, 2026, according to a statement issued by the Office of the House of Representatives on Friday.
Mr Othman is scheduled to take the oath of office on Tuesday, September 22, at 10am at State House in Zanzibar, the statement said.
The appointment returns Mr Othman to the position he previously held before the 2025 General Election. He is also the chairman of ACT-Wazalendo, the opposition party that has been involved in ongoing political discussions with the ruling CCM over the formation and functioning of Zanzibar’s Government of National Unity (GNU).
The latest development follows a series of steps by CCM and ACT-Wazalendo towards implementing their political agreements.
On September 14, President Mwinyi launched a joint committee bringing together representatives of the two parties to oversee implementation of agreements reached during their political dialogue. The committee is part of efforts to advance the reconciliation process between the parties.
ACT-Wazalendo had on September 16 selected its nominee for the First Vice President position through a meeting of its National Leadership Committee. The party confirmed the nomination publicly on September 17 but did not initially disclose the name of its nominee.
The appointment announced on Friday now identifies Mr Othman as the nominee selected to return to the post.
Mr Othman previously served as Zanzibar’s First Vice President and has continued to play a central role in ACT-Wazalendo’s political engagements. In recent discussions, he has spoken about the need for political dialogue and constitutional clarity in addressing longstanding issues surrounding Zanzibar’s political system.
The swearing-in ceremony on September 22 will formally mark his return to the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government.