Zanzibar amends constitution on role of opposition in presidential appointment of some MPs

Zanzibar President is empowered to nominate 10 people into the House, but since the 10th Amendment in 2010, which led to the birth of the Government of National Unity (GNU), two out of the ten people, the president was required to "consult with the Leader of the Opposition or political party with seats in the House." Following the Thursday amendment, the president will from now nominate the two people with consultation of "political party, if the House lacks the leader of opposition." Although the President nominated three members of the House from ADC, TADEA, and AFP opposition parties, currently the House does not have official opposition, which was an obstruction for Dr Shein to complete his House Members nomination. Some of the backbenchers used the constitution amendment opportunity to demand review of the constitution arguing that it needs an overhaul, including reforms of the Electoral Commission to omit political party representation. Machano Othman Said (CCM-Mfenesini) and Hamza Hassan Juma (CCM-Shaurimoyo) said the objective of current constitution of recognising opposition parties has not been met, "because of lack of good will." Haruni Ali Suleiman - Minister of State (Constitution, Legal Affairs, Public Service and Good Governance) with the help of Attorney General Said Hassan Said appealed for political tolerance. Original Source: