Zanzibar Presidential Elections 2025

By Marina Chauffaille

Zanzibar held its presidential election on Oct. 29, 2025, reelecting Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi to a second five-year term. Representing the Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, Mwinyi first assumed office in November 2020 and campaigned on stability, infrastructure expansion, and economic development.

The election was organized by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) and proceeded peacefully across the islands, according to preliminary assessments from regional observers. Official certification of results is pending, as ZEC conducts its standard verification and tabulation process before formally announcing final outcomes. The certification confirms the vote count under Zanzibar’s constitution and is expected to be completed within one week of polling.

Zanzibar, an archipelago comprising the main islands of Unguja and Pemba, functions under the semi-autonomous structure of the United Republic of Tanzania, where the President of Tanzania governs national affairs such as defense, foreign, and monetary policy, and the President of Zanzibar oversees internal governance through a local executive and a 76-seat House of Representatives, of which 30% are reserved for women under the national gender-quota law.

Multiple candidates contested the 2025 race, including Othman Masoud Othman of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo), Juma Ali Khatib of ADA Tadea, and others representing smaller opposition parties. According to the 2022 census, Zanzibar’s population stands at 1.89 million, with 717,557 registered voters eligible to participate in the election.

The islands’ history as a hub of Indian Ocean trade fostered a blend of African, Arab, and South Asian influences that shaped the Swahili language, architecture, and traditions. Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands as a symbol of that heritage, with its carved wooden doors, coral-stone buildings, and narrow winding streets. This mix of cultures has long influenced Zanzibar’s sense of unity and civic engagement, where elections often serve as political events and reflections of the islands’ shared historical continuity and community life.

Regional bodies including the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed election observation missions to monitor Tanzania’s general elections, which included Zanzibar’s presidential vote.

The AU stated, “The African Union Commission officially announces the arrival of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) for the 29 October 2025 General Elections (Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council) in the United Republic of Tanzania. The Mission comprises 72 observers from 30 African countries and is being deployed from 20 October to 3 November 2025.”

The SADC confirmed a similar deployment, saying, “The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania invited the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to observe the country’s upcoming Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections (General Election) scheduled for the 29th of October 2025.”

Both missions reported calm and orderly polling across Tanzania, including Zanzibar, with final evaluations expected in early November.

Mwinyi, 58, is a medical doctor by training and a longtime CCM statesman. He earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Dar es Salaam and later a master’s degree in Community Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The son of former Tanzanian President Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1985–1995), he entered public service in the 1990s and rose through ministerial ranks as Deputy Minister of Health, Minister of Defense and National Service, and Minister of Health and Social Welfare before his election as President of Zanzibar in 2020.

His administration has advanced policies under Zanzibar Vision 2050, focusing on tourism development, port modernization, renewable-energy investment, and institutional reform. Mwinyi has promoted public-private partnerships to diversify the economy beyond tourism and clove exports, while strengthening education and healthcare access across Unguja and Pemba. His economic agenda emphasizes investment in blue economy initiatives and digital governance to increase efficiency and transparency in public service.

Mwinyi’s 2025 campaign maintained a message of continuity and institutional reform, pledging to expand youth employment programs and enhance regional trade through coastal infrastructure projects such as the Malindi Port rehabilitation and the Pemba Airport expansion. He also highlighted his administration’s focus on peace and political reconciliation, stating that his goal was to “strengthen unity among Zanzibaris through dialogue and shared development.”

As Mwinyi begins his second term, Zanzibar is tasked with maintaining stability while advancing inclusive development within Tanzania’s union system. The peaceful conduct of the election indicates progress toward transparent, participatory governance on the islands and continued institutional growth under the semi-autonomous framework of the United Republic of Tanzania.