The Tanzanian ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) National Assembly has approved incumbent John Pombe Magufulu to be a Presidential candidate of the United Republic of Tanzania with 100% victory.
The members who attended were 1822, the votes cast were 1822, no ballot was spoiled, all 1822 votes said YES.
“I’m elected by all members of this meeting but let us not expect to win the general election by 100 percent. I thank you all for your endorsement but let’s work hard and sell our manifesto,” Magufuli told the meeting.
Magufuli came to power pledging to clamp down on corruption but has increasingly come under fire for human rights abuses.
The CCM said its election manifesto for the next five years will focus on job creation, good governance, justice, and revolutionizing agriculture, among others.
The party picked Hussein Mwinyi, the son of former Tanzanian president Ali Hassan Mwinyi, to run for president of the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.
Tanzanians will elect the president, MPs, and ward councilors during the general election, whose exact date has yet to be set.
Opposition parties have called for the formation of an independent electoral commission but said they would not boycott the vote as they did during local elections last year.
“Our electoral commissions are not independent and we have been demanding reforms in vain. However, our party has resolved we will not boycott the elections this time,” said Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo) chairman Seif Sharif Hamad who is also running for the presidency of Zanzibar.
The Unites Stated last month accused Tanzania of seeking to “stifle democratic norms” ahead of general elections, after the arrests of opposition members and the closure of a newspaper.
“These actions follow a disconcerting pattern of intimidation toward opposition members, civil society, and media outlets,” it said.
