Zanzibar’s electoral commission has today annulled the results of the island archipelago’s presidential election citing “violations of electoral law”.

Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairman Jecha Salim Jecha, in a statement broadcast on public television, said the polls on the Indian Ocean archipelago were “nullified” and must be carried out again.

Tension has been mounting on the island since Monday when, the main opposition presidential candidate, Maalim Seif Hamad, declared himself the winner before the results were officially announced.

The Zanzibar island archipelago is a semi-autonomous part of the United Republic of Tanzania, whose presidential election results are expected Thursday.