Said, agreed to close all the slave markets, and the British Consul, Sir John Kirk, became Grand
Vizier in all but name. In 1890 Sultan Seyyid Ali bin Said placed the country under British
protection. The Protectorate was proclaimed on 4th November.
Zanzibar has had Executive and Legislative Councils since 1 926 but it is since 1 957, when
elections were first held, that constitutional progress has been rapid. Under the 1961 constitu-
tion the country achieved an elected majority in the legislature and a ministerial system.
The political parties in Zanzibar are the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (Z.N. P.), the Zanzibar and
Pemba People’s Party (Z.P.P.P.) and the Afro-Shirazi Party (A.S.P.). The elections held in
January 1961 ended in deadlock so fresh elections were held in June. Following this, a
coalition of the Z.N. P. and Z.P.P.P. took office.
A constitutional conference was held in London in March 1962. A constitution for self-
government along the lines agreed at this conference, and including provision for a Bill of
Rights, was introduced in June 1 963 when the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba became internally
self-governing, prior to obtaining full sovereignty.
Two shipping lines call regularly at
Zanzibar and scheduled air services op-
erate between Zanzibar, Kenya and
Tanganyika, and Zanzibar and Pemba.
.
.
.
.
Cloves account for three-quarters of
Zanzibar’s export income, with coconut
products making up much of the rest.