Tanzania: opposition calls for a new vote

 

The Tanzanian opposition on Saturday called on its supporters to take to the streets to contest the crushing re-election of President John Magufuli and the unchallenged victory in the legislative elections of his party and to obtain the organization of a new vote, deeming the first fraudulent. “We first call for new elections as soon as possible. We call for continuous and peaceful protests from Monday across the country until our demands are met, ”Freeman Mbowe, leader of the main opposition party, Chadema, said at a joint press conference in Dar es Salaam with another training, ACT-Wazalendo.

The victory of the president and his party proclaimed

The Electoral Commission (NEC) proclaimed on Friday Mr. Magufuli, 61, nicknamed the “bulldozer”, winner of Wednesday’s poll with 84.39% of the vote, far ahead of his main opponent, Chadema candidate Tundu Lissu, 52 years, credited with 13.03% of the vote. The remaining 2.58% are scattered among the other 13 candidates. Mr. Magufuli’s party, the CCM, a former single party, in power without interruption since independence, also won almost all of the 264 seats in Parliament allocated during the legislative ballot coupled with the presidential election, and whose results have not yet been officially proclaimed.

The CCM notably won constituencies in historic opposition strongholds, notably in Dar es Salaam or Arusha, the large city in the North. Mr Mbowe thus loses the deputy seat he had held for twenty years. “We cannot agree to return to the one-party system,” ACT-Wazalendo leader Zitto Kabwe said at the joint conference to justify the call to protest.

Opponents do not accept the results

The opposition had rejected in advance on Wednesday all the results, denouncing “large-scale irregularities”. These crushing victories are in line with Mr. Magufuli’s first term, characterized by a sharp decline in fundamental freedoms and an increase in attacks against the opposition, according to human rights organizations. Its supporters highlight its resolute fight against corruption or the renegotiation of contracts with foreign companies to improve the share going to the country. As the law in Tanzania does not allow it, “the door to contesting the results of the presidential election in court is closed to us and that is why we have decided to address the people who have power,” said Mr. Lissu at the press conference.

Legal action remains, however, possible for legislative elections.

Mr. Lissu, a lawyer, had managed to reinvigorate the opposition, strangled during a five-year term, since his return in July to Tanzania after three years of care and convalescence abroad, following an assassination attempt – of a character political, according to him – which had earned him 16 bullets in the body in 2017. The opposition also called on “regional and international organizations and foreign countries not to recognize the results of these elections and to take sanctions against the government of Magufuli ”.

London, the former colonial power, and Washington gave substance to the opposition’s accusation

London and Washington concerned about the situation

“The UK is concerned about reports of irregularities,” UK Minister for Africa James Duddridge said on Twitter, calling for “a transparent investigation” and urging Tanzanian political actors to “find a peaceful resolution”. On Friday, the US State Department said it was “worried about credible reports of electoral irregularities and the use of force against unarmed civilians.” “We will hold accountable individuals,” said his spokesman, Morgan Ortagus, on Twitter. Few of the international media have obtained accreditation to cover the polls in mainland Tanzania and several messaging or social networks such as WhatsApp and Twitter have been inaccessible across the country for several days.

Zanzibar tidal wave too

CCM candidate Hussein Ali Mwinyi also won the presidency and 46 of the 50 seats in the Parliament of the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, which together with the mainland forms the United Republic of Tanzania and voted, in addition to national elections, to also designate its own leaders. Mr Mbowe said on Saturday that 20 people were killed in election-related violence across Tanzania, allegations that could not be independently verified.

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