By William Maclean
Zanzibar - The opposition on Tanzania's volatile Zanzibar islands threatened on Tuesday to stage Ukraine-style protests if it thinks elections scheduled for later this year have been rigged.
The Civic United Front (CUF), which saw dozens of its supporters shot dead by police during political unrest in 2001, urged the international community to pressure the government to allow free and fair elections due in October.
"We will launch people-power demonstrations if we feel the election has been stolen," Hamad Masoud Hamad, CUF director of organisation and election affairs, said in an interview.
"People are preparing for it. And here it would be even more than Ukraine in terms of mass mobilisation."
He was referring to protests that helped to secure eventual victory for the opposition after disputed elections in Ukraine in 2004.
"If CCM wins freely and fairly we will be the first to congratulate them. But they cannot win," he said, referring to the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
CCM has been in power both on the islands and the mainland - the former British colonial territory of Tanganyika - since they joined to form the union of Tanzania in 1964.
But semi-autonomous Zanzibar remains a backward corner of one of the world's poorest countries despite spice trading and tourism.
CUF, which campaigns for more autonomy for the islands, says it was cheated of victory by CCM in Tanzania's two previous multiparty polls. Most independent electoral observers agree.
Dozens of CUF supporters were killed in clashes in 2001 after disputed polls in 2000 in the opposition's previous attempt to mount mass protests against alleged election fraud. The authorities say police officers fired only in self defence.
CUF supporters say they are being harassed in the run up to the polls and that a voter registration exercise has deliberately excluded about 30 000 CUF supporters.
"We are seeing intimidation and harassment," said Hamad, pointing to a youth who arrived at CUF offices complaining of being beaten by police and showing bruises on his back.
The Zanzibar Electoral Commission denies widespread irregularities and senior CCM official Mohamed Bilal dismissed CUF's charges.