Zanzibar — The opposition Sauti ya Umma (Sau) was yesterday locked out of the Zanzibar presidential election.

The party's nominee, Mr Haji Mussa Kitole, failed to beat the 4pm deadline for submitting his applications forms to the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC). ZEC director of elections Salim Ali Kassim told a news conference that Mr Kitole was the only candidate who had failed to return his forms to the commission.

"We don't know what has happened, but what I can only tell you is that with the exception of Mr Kitole, all candidates who had collected forms returned them before the deadline," said Mr Kassim. Sau's bid for the presidency ran into problems from the outset when two aspirants turned up to collect nomination forms from ZEC earlier this month.

Mr Kitole and Mr Haji Ramadhan Haji both maintained that they had been nominated by the party to vie for the top office in the isles in the October 31 election. However, top Sau leaders cleared the air by informing ZEC that Mr Kitole was the party's nominee. A candidate aspiring for the presidency is required to be endorsed by at least 200 people in each of the five regions in Unguja and Pemba.

Candidate's who beat yesterday's deadline were Juma Ali Khatib of Tadea, Mr Said Soud Said (AFP), Haji Ambar Khamis (NCCR-Mageuzi) and Kassim Bakari Ali (Jahazi Asilia). Others were Mr Haji Khamis Haji (NRA), Seif Shariff Hamad (CUF) and Dr Ali Mohammed Shein (CCM).

ZEC chairman Khatib Mwinchande said the relatively large number of candidates vying for the Zanzibar presidency showed that democracy was taking root in the isles. He urged the candidates who would be cleared to conduct their campaign peacefully and in accordance with the law.

Zanzibaris will elect a new president in October to succeed Mr Amani Abeid Karume, who is completing his second and final five-year term. CUF's Seif Shariff Hamad will be trying his luck again after failed attempts in 1995, 2000 and 2005.