The ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has approved key amendments to its party constitution during a virtual special national congress held today, with 99.8 percent of voting delegates supporting the proposed changes.

According to Speaker of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, Zubeir Ali Maulid, who announced the results, a total of 931 delegates were expected to participate, but 915 cast their votes.

 Out of those, 912 voted in favour of the changes, three votes were spoiled, and 16 delegates did not vote.

“The total number of delegates was 931. Those who voted were 915, and among them, 912 voted ‘yes’, which is equivalent to 99.8 percent,”  he said.

The amendments include a significant revision to Article 105(7)(f), which governs the nomination process for parliamentary and House of Representatives candidates. 

The revised clause gives the CCM Central Committee and the National Executive Council (NEC) authority to consider and nominate no more than three candidates for each electoral constituency — but with the flexibility to nominate fewer or different names if the party leadership decides otherwise.

Similar changes were made to Article 91(6)(c) regarding councillorship nominations. The revised version now mandates that CCM’s regional political committees propose a maximum of three names per ward for primary elections. 

However, as with the parliamentary nominations, the Central Committee and NEC retain the right to alter or override this limit when necessary.

Presenting the proposals on behalf of the NEC, CCM’s National Secretary for Organisation, Issa Gavu, explained that the changes aim to bring clarity and consistency to the party’s internal democratic processes while giving top organs the flexibility to address exceptional political circumstances.

“Article 105(7)(f) is now amended to empower the Central Committee and NEC to nominate up to three party members per constituency for parliamentary or House of Representatives positions to proceed to primaries — unless decided otherwise,”  Gavu said.

He added that a similar clause was inserted in the councillorship nomination provision to ensure the party leadership maintains final discretion.

The changes come as the party prepares for internal elections ahead of the 2025 general polls, with officials indicating that the adjustments are meant to streamline the nomination process and reduce confusion caused by overly long candidate lists.