Kevin85ify
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 6, 2019
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The country’s main opposition party CHADEMA’s candidate, Tundu Lissu, and other opposition leaders have repeatedly claimed that there’s a likelihood that they’ll be blocked from running in this year’s general elections in October.
“The biggest date now is August 25th and 26th when we submit our nomination papers,” Lissu tells The Africa Report. “CCM (the ruling party) does not want any competition.”
He adds: “We’ve said publicly that we are not going to accept any such, our people to be ready for protests. There will be popular action should our candidates be disqualified.”
Fellow opposition leader, Zitto Kabwe, who leads the ACT-Wazalendo party, have raised concerns that the country’s electoral body could repeat what it did in local elections last year that included locking out their candidates and gave the ruling party nearly all the contested positions.
On 12 August, Kabwe tweeted: “We hear that the National Electoral Commission (NEC) will not nominate some candidates from the Opposition Parties to the Presidency and Parliament for various reasons. I warn Judge Kaijage not to justify the unjust deal otherwise there will be NO ELECTION.”
Other than the real possibility of disqualification from the October race, which could see President Magufuli win a second term, opposition leaders also have to contend with many other hurdles.
Among them is state harassment and frequent arrests, and in the case of Lissu, an attempted assassination in 2017. The country has also increased further restrictions on the media and free speech, in what has been a systematic crackdown on freedom of the press over the last five years.
Tanzania: Opposition fear being locked out of October poll
“The biggest date now is August 25th and 26th when we submit our nomination papers,” Lissu tells The Africa Report. “CCM (the ruling party) does not want any competition.”
He adds: “We’ve said publicly that we are not going to accept any such, our people to be ready for protests. There will be popular action should our candidates be disqualified.”
Fellow opposition leader, Zitto Kabwe, who leads the ACT-Wazalendo party, have raised concerns that the country’s electoral body could repeat what it did in local elections last year that included locking out their candidates and gave the ruling party nearly all the contested positions.
On 12 August, Kabwe tweeted: “We hear that the National Electoral Commission (NEC) will not nominate some candidates from the Opposition Parties to the Presidency and Parliament for various reasons. I warn Judge Kaijage not to justify the unjust deal otherwise there will be NO ELECTION.”
Other than the real possibility of disqualification from the October race, which could see President Magufuli win a second term, opposition leaders also have to contend with many other hurdles.
Among them is state harassment and frequent arrests, and in the case of Lissu, an attempted assassination in 2017. The country has also increased further restrictions on the media and free speech, in what has been a systematic crackdown on freedom of the press over the last five years.
Tanzania: Opposition fear being locked out of October poll