Mkapa leads in Tz polling

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Tuesday - Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa looked certain to win a second term on Tuesday as results came in from weekend elections, but a political crisis on the semi-autonomous Zanzibar islands deepened further. Zanzibar's main opposition party said it would boycott a repeat vote ordered for some constituencies because it said voting was chaotic across the islands and the whole process should be started again from scratch. Tanzanians had voted in general elections on Sunday and, while polling went smoothly on the mainland, there were widespread irregularities in the islands of Zanzibar. Many polling stations opened hours late and ballot papers went missing. Election authorities said on Monday they would organise new elections in 16 of Zanzibar's 50 constituencies, most likely on Sunday, but the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) said that was not good enough. "We still insist the whole exercise is done again," Ismael Jussa, a senior member of CUF's executive committee, said. "There is no way we will participate if it is just the 16 constituencies. We will definitely boycott it." The CUF alleges the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party "imported" mainlanders onto the islands to stop it from winning the presidency of Zanzibar and taking control of its parliament. The CUF boycott of repeat elections raised concerns of fresh confrontations between its supporters and Zanzibar authorities. On Monday, riot police opened fired on CUF activists and then dragged at least 15 people from shops, battering them with truncheons. Observers said the elections on Zanzibar were a"shambles" and should be repeated in their entirety. Ends.