General elections were held in Zanzibar in July 1963. The number of seats was increased from 22 to 31, and the result was a victory for the Zanzibar Nationalist Party and Zanzibar and Pemba People's Party alliance, which won 18 seats, despite the fact that the Afro-Shirazi Party, which had won 13, claimed 54.2% of the vote. Voter turnout was estimated to be 99.1%.[1]
The ZNP-ZPPP alliance, which involved the two parties not running candidates against each other in their strongholds, was invited to form a government, and led the country to independence on 10 December that year. However, on 12 January 1964, the Zanzibar Revolution brought the ASP to power.[2]