But even as he made the appeal for peace, the oppsotion was accusing the country's security agencies of blocking its agents at polling stations. Countries that we never suspected were alike are starting to resemble one another. Last week it was the people of Tanzania who went to the polls in good faith, but whose votes were not counted. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Anthony Siame). We encourage different, respectful viewpoints to further our understanding of the world. Before that the marchers in Belarus. President Cyril Ramaphosa, the chairperson of the African Union, already congratulated Magufuli on Monday. He reflected how much Magufuli reminded him of Donald Trump. Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu briefly arrested on day of planned election protest. Their struggle is the struggle of everyone who believes that democracy is worth fighting for. Tanzanians queue to cast their votes in the presidential election, at a polling station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. Mr Magufuli's main rival, Tundu Lissu, has … Within the next few days we might even have to add the United States of America to that list. But whatever pull the international community still had in Tanzania was applied and he was released a few hours later. He has also won the backing of Zitto Kabwe, another opposition leader, unifying much of the vote against Mr Magufuli. Lissu, Mbowe, Kabwe and Maalim Seif Hamad of Zanzibar may be beaten and bloodied, but they have not been bowed. Covid-19 has kept us apart, but has also brought the world closer together. He was first turned away by a political officer at the US Embassy. Director of Elections Wilson Mahera said in a statement on Tuesday, “The commission has observed with serious concern a widening attempt by some actors both locally and internationally to paint Tanzania’s 2020 election results to be anything but free and fair. Elections are the quintessential arbiter of political contestation within democratic countries. I must also emphasize the need to preserve peace as a nation, because life will go on after the elections. For that reason alone the dream is not dead. Tanzanian opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu on Wednesday slammed "widespread irregularities" in the ongoing general election. Opposition leaders in Tanzania have accused authorities of stuffing ballot boxes to ensure victory for the ruling party in simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections.. Select which newsletters you'd like to receive, Knowing that they were coming for him, he had sought diplomatic protection. Tanzania’s leading opposition candidate has alleged a major fraud in the recently concluded election and has said the poll verdict was like "spitting in the face of democracy." We have seen these ballot papers, and we have caught some people with these papers. Tanzanians will head to the polls on 28 October. Dar es Salaam. © AP/Khalfan Said. Tanzania's general election taking place on 28 October has some unusual features. A total of 29 million voters were registered to vote in 80,115 polling stations, where they had to choose between 15 presidential candidates and 399 seats in Parliament, in addition to the councilors. On Sunday night Tanzanian police came for Freeman Mbowe, the chairman and founder of the opposition Chadema party. Lissu, Mbowe, Kabwe and Maalim Seif Hamad of Zanzibar may be beaten and bloodied, but they have not been bowed. Tanzanian government officials prepare to cast their ballots at a polling center in Dar es Salaam Read more: Using social media for good during Ghana's elections Tensions continue to rise One of them is that we have discovered in different polling stations. Perhaps it was always a quixotic quest for Lissu, who was exiled for three years, to return home and take on the “petty tyrant”. Mbowe has now been charged with terrorism, a non-bailable offence which means he can be held indefinitely. Please note you must be a Maverick Insider to comment. There are many great benefits to being a Maverick Insider. 2020-10-21. In recent years this has included Venezuela, Turkey, Hungary and Poland. Zanzibar, where some 566,000 people have registered to take part in the polls, wrapped up its election campaigns on Sunday. He visited Washington DC last year in September. ZANZIBAR, Tanzania (AP) — Police in Tanzania shot dead at least nine citizens amid unrest over alleged fraud ahead of the presidential election, a major opposition party asserted Tuesday, while officials denied it and one of Africa’s most populous countries watched internet service slow to a crawl ahead of Wednesday’s vote. Magufuli's main challenger Tundu Lissu claimed that he had received reports of widespread ballot stuffing. Tanzania electoral watch panel, USA State Department, Commonwealth, and European Union were very critical about the elections. Between the pre-marked ballots, the stuffed boxes, the tabulation of results before the vote started, the prevention of opposition agents from access to the polls and the police intimidation, this was more than the usual gripe about “irregularities”. We are told that people like a strongman, as the bulldozer likes to style himself. Tanzania polls won't be free and fair, warns election watch team President Pombe Magufuli has been accused of repression against the opposition, civil society and the media. BECOME AN INSIDER. He then went to Umoja House – where the EU, UK, German and Dutch missions are located – where he waited for several hours while the bureaucrats inside deliberated on whether or not to let him in. We spent an evening eating steak and drinking beer. Magufuli believed that the international community would let him get away with it, especially the East African Community (despite growing tensions with Kenya) and the Southern African Development Community, whose observer missions steered clear of any criticism of the election. African democracy? Tanzania is not alone in this paradox. Tanzania’s main opposition presidential candidate has said he will not accept the result of Wednesday’s election because of voting irregularities. That’s what we want from our members. Please sign in or register to enable this feature. Their struggle is the struggle of everyone who believes that democracy is worth fighting for. Polls have opened in Tanzania’s general election, following nationwide reports of restricted internet access plus the arrest of an opposition leader in the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar. Zanzibar Elections. Police forces keep tight security in the island capital to stop any gatherings after voting in the Tanzania general elections in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania on 29 October 2020. At the very least, some have argued, he was facing an opposition weakened through ruthless repression over the past five years. A Tanzanian election official calls out names at the Garagara Playground polling station in Mtoni, Zanzibar on October 28, 2020. MAVERICK INSIDERS CAN COMMENT. The fragility of democracy worldwide will continue to be an issue “irrespective of who wins the American presidency,” the scholars concluded. The National Electoral Commission, run as an arm of the ruling CCM, give President John Pombe Magufuli a laughable 85% of the vote on the mainland. The election results, announced by the National Electoral Commission on Friday evening, gave the president 84% of the vote and the opposition leader Tundu Lissu 13%. Arrests of opposition leaders continued around the country on the eve of what was to be a peaceful demonstration against what they deemed to be a fraudulent electoral process. That is without even mentioning Zanzibar in which – for the fifth time in a row – the opposition was denied victory and massive brutality was inflicted against their leaders and supporters by the military, leaving at least 13 people dead. The opposition is demanding new elections under an impartial and independent electoral body. Tanzania gears up for October 28 polls to elect presidents for mainland and semi-autonomous Zanzibar, as well as MPs and local councillors. On Tuesday it will be the United States’ turn in the barrel. The opposition boycotted the re-run, and tensions remain high. A two-horse race in Tanzania’s grueling presidential poll By Mwangi Maina | August 26th 2020 at 16:44:13 GMT +0300 President John Magufuli who is vying for Tanzania's top seat a second time. Tanzania has blocked social media, bulk SMS as its election polls open REUTERS/Stringer Early voting on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, Tanzania Oct. 27, 2020. If this was so, why did Magufuli go to such elaborate lengths to cheat? Tundu Lissu, the presidential candidate of Tanzania… Shortly before he was picked up by the cops he sent a WhatsApp message: “They’re all in dread of this petty tyrant it’s unbelievable.”. Tanzanian President John Magufuli has officially won a second term, with a landslide victory of more than 84% of the vote in this week’s election. They would be a pushover. Updated 18 August 9:50 am Paris The country’s main opposition party CHADEMA’s candidate, Tundu Lissu, and other opposition leaders have repeatedly claimed that there’s a likelihood that they’ll be blocked from running in this year’s general elections in October. In semi-autonomous Zanzibar, the opposition said its members had found ballots pre-marked for President Magufuli. “We have seen a lot of problems in this election. Why did he so lack confidence in the outcome of a free and fair election that he had to make up a result? Reports of killings, brutality and harassment by … Long considered a haven of stability in East Africa, say Tanzania has seen the stifling and a crackdown on freedom of speech under the 60-year-old Magufuli and his Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power since 1961. The archipelago has … Opposition parties claim that the polls were marred with irregularities. "I call on Tanzanians to come out in large numbers today and vote for the decision that everyone has in their hearts. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Mr. Magufuli, who is seeking a second five-year term, and on the governing Party of the Revolution, which has dominated Tanzanian … He was first turned away by a political officer. We should stop there and consider how we even talk about what happened in Tanzania on 28 October. The reason is clear. DM. A keen rugby lover and an All Blacks fan he doubted that South Africa would get past the semi-finals of the World Cup. Even Magufuli’s own intelligence people conceded that in a free and fair election, Lissu would be the winner. May God bless all the voters and may God bless Tanzania", said Magufuli shortly after casting his ballot. The director of the National Electoral Commission (CNE), Wilson Mahela, explained that they will begin to count the results of the presidential election tonight, as they continue to meet at all the polling stations in the country. 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Tanzania votes in presidential and general elections today, in what is expected to be the tightest race in the history of East Africa's most populous country. Tanzanian President John Magufuli won an election victory on Friday with 84% of the vote, according to the country's National Electoral Commission. Everybody has an opinion but not everyone has the knowledge and the experience to contribute meaningfully to a discussion. People, especially young people, came out in droves. President Joseph Magufuli, eyeing a second five-year term, voted in the country's new capital of … By using this website, you agree with our use of cookies to improve its performance and enhance your user experience. As Tanzania prepares for its 28 October elections, opposition leaders claim there’s a plot to lock out their candidates from the polls. The blackout of the internet means that while the former capital Dar es-Salaam remains peaceful, it is impossible to know what exactly is going on in much of the interior of the country. It was Jonathan, to his credit, who not only conceded power to Muhammadu Buhari of the opposition APC in the 2015 elections, the first incumbent to do so in Nigerian history, but supported a credible Independent National Electoral Commission that it was hoped would be an example to the rest of the continent. Results in the presidential election from 17, out of the more than 260 constituencies, that have been published on the electoral commission's website show a huge lead for President Magufuli. As of Monday night, we were still waiting for the report of the African Union observer mission headed by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. Last week it was the people of Tanzania who went to the polls in good faith, but whose votes were not counted. On Monday afternoon Tundu Lissu, Chadema’s candidate in the presidential election, was arrested by Tanzanian police outside the German embassy. “is either withering or in full-scale collapse globally”. Elections in Zanzibar must surely be regarded as the most futile in the world. In Dar es salaam, a female parliamentary candidate for the opposition Chadema party was arrested by police before being released later on Wednesday. Two weeks ago, it was the demonstrators at Lekki Plaza in Nigeria. People were milling around the newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza, Ground Zero for a revolt if Trump tries to steal the election. Nah…. This comes as the United States noted that the Tanzanian election showed signs of "credible allegations of significant election-related fraud and intimidation." Help us learn with your expertise and insights on articles that we publish. Shortly before he was picked up by the cops he sent a WhatsApp message: “, They’re all in dread of this petty tyrant it’s unbelievable.”, Tanzania is not alone in this paradox. Once-vibrant democracies are dying constitutionally through elections and referenda. Lissu, who miraculously survived an assassination attempt in 2017, had reason to fear what would happen to him if he was arrested. The machinery of democracy was essentially used to wipe out the opposition.
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