Tanzania Votes As Opposition Alleges 'widespread Irregularities'

Muhammad Irfan Published October 28, 2020 | 07:40 PM

Tanzanian opposition candidate Tundu Lissu slammed "widespread irregularities" including ballot-box stuffing on Wednesday as voters turned out for elections in which President John Magufuli, accused of authoritarianism, is seeking a second term

Stone Town, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2020 ) :Tanzanian opposition candidate Tundu Lissu slammed "widespread irregularities" including ballot-box stuffing on Wednesday as voters turned out for elections in which President John Magufuli, accused of authoritarianism, is seeking a second term.

Long deemed a haven of stability in East Africa, observers say Tanzania has seen a stifling of freedoms under Magufuli and his Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power since 1961.

Commentators had already voiced concern about the fairness of the election ahead of polling, and violence erupted in semi-autonomous Zanzibar on the eve of the vote, leaving 10 dead according to the opposition.

"Voting reports indicate widespread irregularities in the form of preventing our polling agents from accessing polling stations," Lissu said on Twitter, alleging ballot boxes had been stuffed in some locations.

"If this continues, mass democratic action will be the only option to protect the integrity of the election." The secretary general of his Chadema political party, John Mnyika told AFP that their lawmaker in the Kawe district of Dar es Salaam, Halima Mdee, was briefly arrested after protesting the discovery of ballot boxed stuffed with "pre-marked votes" in favour of the ruling CCM.

The election, for which around 29 million people are registered to vote, is taking place largely without external monitors and most international media have not gained accreditation to cover voting on the mainland.

Major social media networks have been blocked and are only accessible through virtual private networks (VPN).

In a polling station in Dodoma, voter Jackson Daudi said: "I hope voting will go smoothly and the electoral body will be fair to all candidates. I believe justice will prevail."