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Tanzanian Opposition decries election ‘fraud’, rallies supporters to demand re-run

Sun 01 Nov 2020    
EcoBalance
| 2 min read

Tanzania’s two opposition parties on Saturday called on its supporters to take to the streets and demand a rerun in the wake of populist vote President John Magufuli’s election victory, which they have rejected as fraudulent.

“We first call for fresh elections as soon as possible. We call for continuous, peaceful, countrywide demonstrations until our demands are met,” Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe said at a joint press conference with another opposition party, ACT-Wazalendo.

Magufuli was declared the winner Friday with a crushing 84 percent of votes, while his Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) ruling party took 97 percent of the 264 elected parliament seats, in what the opposition has denounced as an illegitimate election.

President John Magufuli addresses supporters after his sweeping win at the polls on Oct 30, 2020 [Image: Reuters]

In one claim, Magufuli’s main challenger Chadema alleges that the ballot boxes were tampered with after its agents were stopped from entering polling stations. Their party candidate Tundu Lissu, won only 13 percent of the vote.

The head of the National Electoral Commission, Semistocles Kaijage, said allegations of fake ballot papers were unsubstantiated.

ACT-Wazalendo leader Zitto Kabwe in the joint conference asked the rallies to take to streets from Monday and said the decision was for “the future of our country.”

“We cannot accept going back to a one-party system,” he added.

The resounding victory for the CCM will further cement the power of a party that has been in power since independence in 1961, but stands accused of a slide into autocracy under Magufuli who has been president since 2015.

[Sourced from Agencies]