Tanzanians will go to the polls on 31 October 2010 to elect the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, President of Zanzibar, Members of Parliament and Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. This is a roundup of blog posts about the elections.
Tom Rhodes reports that the Tanzanian government has threatened the press ahead of the elections:
Tom Rhodes reports that the Tanzanian government has threatened the press ahead of the elections:
Whether the Tanzanian press feel at liberty to cover this tight race is another matter. Critical reporting on the government during this sensitive time appeared risky after Ministry of Information Permanent Secretary Sethi Kamuhanda toured print media offices earlier this month, threatening to shutter any media house that put the government in a bad light, state television reported. More than 50 human rights and media organizations issued a joint statement last week, claiming the government has threatened the press in advance of the forthcoming elections.
Since polling began, the Registrar of Newspapers, a government-run licensing agency, has been busy issuing letters to newspapers, warning against any negative coverage of the government, local journalists told CPJ. Three private weeklies, Mwanahalisi, Raia Mwena, and Tanzania Daima have all been warned by the Registrar to avoid coverage deemed inciteful by the government or face suspension.
Such kinds of threats have been common from the Registrar of Newspapers, whom the minister [of information] uses as a means to enforce self-censorship, the chairman of the Tanzania Editors' Forum, Absalom Kibanda, told me.
The country's leading Kiswahili daily, Mwananchi, received two letters from the Registrar recently threatening to suspend the paper for negative government coverage, Managing Editor Theophil Makunga told me. SOURCE: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/10/29/tanzania-2010-general-elections-roundup/:
Since polling began, the Registrar of Newspapers, a government-run licensing agency, has been busy issuing letters to newspapers, warning against any negative coverage of the government, local journalists told CPJ. Three private weeklies, Mwanahalisi, Raia Mwena, and Tanzania Daima have all been warned by the Registrar to avoid coverage deemed inciteful by the government or face suspension.
Such kinds of threats have been common from the Registrar of Newspapers, whom the minister [of information] uses as a means to enforce self-censorship, the chairman of the Tanzania Editors' Forum, Absalom Kibanda, told me.
The country's leading Kiswahili daily, Mwananchi, received two letters from the Registrar recently threatening to suspend the paper for negative government coverage, Managing Editor Theophil Makunga told me. SOURCE: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/10/29/tanzania-2010-general-elections-roundup/:
NOW I BELIEVE TANZANIA IS A DICTATORIAL STATE. BUT WHAT AMUSES ME IS THE FACT THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS ONLY TALKING OF THE EVIL OF THE RULING PARTY ON THE BACKGROUND? DO YOU GUYS THINK THE SO CALLED INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY BENEFITS FROM EVILS OF CCM? DESPITE THE EU OBSERVERS CONDEMNING THE THE 2010 ELECTION BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO TZ PRAISED THE ELECTION PROCESS... IN A PARTY AT THE STATE HOUSE TO CELEBRATE KIKWETE VICTORY! WHAT A CONTRADICTION? MAKE ME UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON WANAJAMII?
