Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) has granted official approval for the destruction of materials from the 2025 General Election, stating that the action is in full compliance with the law after the mandatory 90-day retention period has elapsed.
The decision was reached on Monday this week during a Commission’s meeting held as part of ZEC’s statutory duty to conclude the electoral process transparently and in accordance with established legal procedures.
Speaking to the media at ZEC headquarters at Maisara, Commission Chairperson Justice George Kazi said the exercise is guided by Section 98(3) of the Zanzibar Election Act No. 4 of 2018, which requires all election-related documents to be destroyed after 90 days from the completion of an election.
Justice Kazi said the Commission had also satisfied itself that there was no court order barring the destruction of the materials, clearing the way for the exercise to proceed lawfully.
“We have taken this decision strictly within the framework of the law after confirming that there are no legal impediments,” he said, urging all election stakeholders to cooperate to ensure the process is conducted successfully, transparently and in line with legal principles.
However, the decision has drawn sharp opposition from ACTWazalendo, which says destroying the materials would jeopardise ongoing court cases challenging the 2025 election results in 25 constituencies across Zanzibar.
The party has made three key demands: an immediate halt to the destruction of election materials until all petitions are resolved; prompt action by the High Court Registrar to process its applications for discovery and inspection of election documents; and enhanced security to safeguard and preserve all election materials, ensuring no accidental loss or destruction of evidence
