2020 Tanzanian general election

General election in Tanzania From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

General elections were held in Tanzania on 28 October 2020 to elect the President and members of National Assembly.[1] The presidential election was won by incumbent John Magufuli of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party.[2]

Quick Facts Nominee, Party ...
2020 Tanzanian general election

 2015 28 October 2020 2025 
Presidential election
 
Nominee John Magufuli Tundu Lissu
Party CCM Chadema
Running mate Samia Suluhu Salim Mwalimu
Popular vote 12,516,252 1,933,271
Percentage 84.40% 13.04%

President before election

John Magufuli
CCM

Elected President

John Magufuli
CCM

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Background

In April 2019, Livingstone Lusinde, an MP for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, suggested that holding a presidential election in 2020 was not a good idea due to the cost, and that the money should be used for development projects.[3] The proposal was likely made in order to keep President John Magufuli in office till 2025, with Lusinde saying "no one can defeat president Magufuli" anyway.[4]

Opposition parties Chadema, Alliance for Change and Transparency, and NCCR-Mageuzi announced they had started negotiations to form an alliance ahead of the election.[5]

The election commission announced that the campaign would run from 26 August to 27 October 2020.[6]

Electoral system

The president is elected using the two-round system, with a candidate elected in the first round only if they obtain more than half of all the valid votes cast; if no candidate received over 50% of the vote, a second round is held. Article 39(1) of the 1977 Constitution requires candidates to be Tanzanian citizens by birth, at least 40 years old, be nominated by a political party of which they are a member, be qualified to be an MP or a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives and not have any convictions related to tax evasion.[7]

Presidential candidates

CCM

The ruling CCM (and its predecessor parties) has dominated the political scene since the nation attained independence in 1961. Following the restoration of multi-party politics in 1992, it has retained its popularity and the voters' confidence, winning all of the past five general elections (held in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015).[8] The previous election was won by John Magufuli, who ran for re-election for his second term.[9]

Opposition

CHADEMA

The main opposition party Chama cha Democracia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) held its general council conference in Dar es Salaam on 3 August 2020. A total of seven members completed their nomination forms for the position for the Union President.[10]

A total of 453 of 456 party general council delegates attended the conference. The three names passed on by the central committee for the general council to vote on were, Tundu Lissu (405 votes), Lazaro Nyalandu (36 votes) and Mayrose Majige (1 vote),[10] with Lissu chosen as CHADEMA's Union presidential candidate.[15]

ACT-Wazalendo

Alliance for Change and Transparency-Wazalendo part held their central committee elections on 5 August 2020. The party's 420 central committee members nominated ex foreign minister Bernard Membe with 97.61% vote as the union presidential candidate. Membe was expelled from CCM earlier in the year and moved over to ACT to be able to run for president.[16]

Conduct

On 24 October 2020 the opposition claimed that the government was interfering in the election by making it more difficult to accredit thousands of opposition electoral observers, whose job is to ensure that the election is fair.[17] The National Electoral Commission, whose members are appointed by the president, barred Lissu from campaigning after he said Magufuli had organised a meeting with election officials.[18] From 27 October, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) blocked several popular social media websites to restrict communication amid violence in the islands of Zanzibar, where dozens have been shot dead and tens have been injured by the police and other security forces.[17]

According to Al Jazeera, "The election was marred by allegations of arrests of candidates and protesters, restrictions on agents of political parties to access polling stations, multiple voting, pre-ticking of ballots, and widespread blocking of social media." A local elections watchdog group noted a heavy deployment of military and police whose conduct created a “climate of fear”.[19]

Results

President

More information Candidate, Running mate ...
CandidateRunning matePartyVotes%
John MagufuliSamia SuluhuChama cha Mapinduzi12,516,25284.40
Tundu LissuSalum Mwalimu JumaChadema1,933,27113.04
Bernard Kamillius MembeOmar Fakih HamadAlliance for Change and Transparency81,1290.55
Leopord Lucas MahonaKhamis Ali HassanNational Reconstruction Alliance80,7870.54
Ibrahim Haruna LipumbaHamida Huweishil AbdallaCivic United Front72,8850.49
John Paul ShibudaHassan Kornely KijogooTanzania Democratic Alliance33,0860.22
Hashim Spunda RungweMohammed Massoud RashidChama cha Ukombozi wa Umma32,8780.22
Yeremia Kulwa MaganjaKhamis Haji AmbarNCCR–Mageuzi19,9690.13
Muttamwega Bhatt MgaywaSatia Mussa BebwaSauti ya Umma14,9220.10
Cecilia Augustino MwangaTabu Mussa JumaAttentive Democracy Party14,5560.10
Philipo John FumboZaina Juma KhamisDemocratic Party8,2830.06
Queen Cuthbert SendigaKhamis Juma ShokaAlliance for Democratic Change7,6270.05
Twalib Ibrahim KadegeRamadhan Ali AbdallahUnited People's Democratic Party6,1940.04
Seif Maalim SeifRashid Ligania RaiAlliance for African Farmers Party4,6350.03
Khalfan Mohammed MazruiMashavu Alawi HajiUnion for Multiparty Democracy3,7210.03
Total14,830,195100.00
Valid votes14,830,19598.27
Invalid/blank votes261,7551.73
Total votes15,091,950100.00
Registered voters/turnout29,754,69950.72
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National Assembly

More information Party, Votes ...
Thumb
PartyVotes%Seats
ConstituencyWomenTotal+/–
Chama Cha Mapinduzi25694350+90
Chadema11920–53
Alliance for Change and Transparency505+4
Civic United Front202–40
NCCR–Mageuzi000–1
Presidential appointees100
Elected by Zanzibar House of Representatives50
Attorney-General10
Total2641133930
Registered voters/turnout29,754,699
Source: NEC, IPU
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International reactions

The Tanzania electoral watch panel,[20] U.S. State Department,[21] Commonwealth,[22] and European Union[23] were very critical about the elections.

On 10 November 2020, OHCHR published a declaration on the electoral process and its consequences.[24] It was at once answered by Tanzania government.[25]

References

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