ACT begins unity accord consultations
ZANZIBAR: ACT-WAZALENDO has begun internal consultations with party leaders on the contents and implementation of the political reconciliation accord signed recently with Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
Speaking on Sunday at Piccadilly Hall in Nyamamzi, Urban West Region, the party’s National Chairman, Othman Masoud Othman, met party leaders from Unguja to explain the contents and implementation of the landmark agreement.
The reconciliation accord was signed on July 9, this year at the State House in Zanzibar and witnessed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Mwinyi and other senior leaders.
Mr Othman described the accord as the beginning of a long process towards political reforms and the party’s return to the Government of National Unity (GNU).
“My colleagues, we have not reached the end of the journey, in fact, the journey has just begun,” he said.
He said the next step will be the establishment of a joint committee comprising members from CCM and ACT-Wazalendo. The committee will be legally mandated through legislation to be tabled before the Zanzibar House of Representatives to oversee implementation of the agreement.
Mr Othman said implementing the accord will require greater commitment and sincerity than the negotiations themselves, stressing that it should be seen as a process of restoring justice and rebuilding public confidence rather than a political favour.
According to him, negotiations that began on November 9, 2025, involved 14 formal meetings, two joint sessions and two committee sittings aimed at rebuilding trust among Zanzibaris following political tensions after the 2025 General Election.
“This is a new kind of politics. We are not here to undermine reconciliation or conceal the truth. We are here to ensure that the will and interests of the people of Zanzibar are fully upheld,” he said.
He said the agreement proposes wide-ranging reforms, including measures to restore public confidence in politics, changes in the legal sector, public service, local government administration, the Zanzibar identification system and electoral boundaries, as well as the establishment of a National Cohesion Commission and a political parties consultative forum.
The accord also proposes reforms in public media, the conduct of security forces during elections, and the structure and functioning of the Government of National Unity.
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Mr Othman urged party members and the public to remain united, warning that implementation could prove more challenging than the negotiations. He pledged that ACT-Wazalendo will remain transparent and consultative throughout the process.
On the party’s timeline for joining the GNU, he said the decision will depend on the recommendations of the joint committee.
“We will form a joint committee with CCM and, after it completes its work, we will consult internally as a party before determining how we enter the GNU,” he said.
Former ACT-Wazalendo National Chairman Juma Duni Haji expressed confidence that the accord has a greater chance of success than previous attempts because it was negotiated and signed openly and transparently.
Meanwhile, the party’s Zanzibar Vice-Chairman, Ismail Jussa, commended Othman’s leadership, saying he has consistently placed the interests of the people of Zanzibar above all else.
