(MENAFN) Zanzibar, Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago, has re-elected Hussein Ali Mwinyi as president for a second term, according to official results released on Thursday night.

This announcement follows growing unrest in Dar es Salaam, the country's commercial capital, where protests have erupted over disputed general elections.

Mwinyi, the candidate from the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, secured 74.8% of the vote, defeating ten opposition challengers, as reported by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC).

His nearest competitor, Othman Masoud Othman, garnered 23.22% of the vote. The electoral commission’s figures confirm his victory, despite widespread opposition claims of electoral fraud.

Zanzibar merged with mainland Tanganyika in April 1964 to create the United Republic of Tanzania, after both territories gained independence from Britain in the early 1960s.

Since the union, the CCM party has maintained power, with Zanzibar retaining its own president, cabinet, and House of Representatives.

However, key national portfolios, including foreign affairs and defense, remain under the control of the central government in Dodoma.

Mwinyi, who first assumed the presidency in 2020, has focused his administration on advancing tourism, improving infrastructure, and promoting a "blue economy" centered on sectors like seaweed farming, fisheries, and marine services.

Meanwhile, the opposition has alleged "massive fraud" in Zanzibar’s election results and has vowed to take further action, according to a news agency.

Protests have intensified in Dar es Salaam, where President Samia Suluhu Hassan is seeking her first full term after taking office in March 2021, following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

With her two main rivals disqualified from running, the election saw 16 candidates from smaller parties, who were widely viewed as having little chance of competing.

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