TANZANIA OPPOSITION BOYCOTTS CIVIC ELECTIONS

Leaders of Tanzania's main opposition party during Central Committee's meeting in Dodoma Yesterday

By Our Correspondent, Dodoma TANZANIA

Tanzania's main opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) has on Thursday said it would boycott the ongoing civic electoral process citing unbearable controversy and irregularities that disqualified 90% of their contesters countrywide and favoured the ruling party (CCM).   

The decision came on the heels of reports of massive locking out of opposition contesters across the country in favour of the ruling party, contesters who would pass “unopposed.”

Election Returning Officers have disqualified thousands of opposition candidates over reasons their parties says are flimsy and orchestrated.

They include not writing full names, misspellings, blank spaces, improper forms, being drunkard, proper dates among others. Many more could not get forms as officials were a no show.

Freeman Mbowe, Chairman of the CHADEMA party, told a press conference after a day-long consultative meeting with the party’s Central Committee in Dodoma City that his party can no longer take part in elections where democracy is being taken hostage.

"There is concerns over open violations of the electoral process by those entrusted with overseeing it, leading to almost all our nominees being, allegedly, unfairly removed from the list of contesters countrywide," he said.

He claimed that this was, however, not the case for those contesting on the ticket of the ruling party (CCM), some of whom have started celebrating sailing through unopposed.

Mbowe told reporters that they had made massive efforts to make sure that their members contest every village and streets’ leadership positions. “But with what has happened, I direct you to withdraw from participating in this unfair election supervised by CCM” He said.

"It's a sham exercise and the level of brazen irregularities cannot be tolerated.”

He said it was now the time for a free and independent electoral commission to be established to steer the democratic process away from partisan interests that jeopardise the wellbeing of nationhood.

Some weeks ago, CHADEMA Chairman assured the country that the party would not boycott the civic elections because of the challenges associated with the process.

“We have to face the challenges, and even though CCM lies to itself that it will rig this elections, the country does not have the personnel to police every village,” he said.

File picture shows a supporter of main opposition party CHADEMA 

However, Mbowe noted that the party would also react differently depending on the prevailing situation.

The Minister of State in the president’s office, Selemani Jafo, whose office is coordinating the civic electoral process showed concern over boycott decision by the leading opposition party terming the move as distracting people from exercising their civic rights.

“I have heard that one opposition party has decided to boycott participation in the forthcoming civic elections, this move will deny the citizens their right to elect their leaders” said Jafo adding that all aggrieved contesters were supposed to appeal against their nullification to the respective bodies.

He urged other political parties to go on with election process.

The other opposition political party, Alliance for Change and Transparency – Wazalendo (ACT) also joined hands with CHADEMA claiming that they had seconded a total of 355,424 to contest all positions countrywide but the Returning Officers nullified 96% (341,2017) and clearing only 4% (14,217) on failure to fill the forms properly.

The outspoken Member of Parliament for Kigoma Urban, Zitto Kabwe, who is the ACT party leader said that what Returning Officers have done against opposition parties is not acceptable. “How a well-known party like ACT is being denied opportunity to participate in elections? How come that only 4% of our members are approved for elections?”

He said that his party prepared for more than four years to participate in the elections following President John Magufuli’s directive to bar opposition parties from exercising their political right until during elections.

Tanzania President, John Magufuli in a group picture with Ward Executive Officers and his political party leaders after a meeting in State House, Dar es Salaam City. The Ward Executive officers are the immediate returning officers supervising the ongoing civic election process 

A high ranking government officer who asked for anonymity said that when the main opposition political party like CHADEMA boycotts elections, it not only deprives that election of its legitimacy but also lays a foundation for the unaccountable leadership. “There will be a lack of push on the ‘leaders’ in serving their respective constituents. Because no one elected them, the leaders will be exercising no leadership at all.” He said.

He noted “Everywhere in the world, experience shows that the more the political party is being persecuted the more institutionalised it becomes. Far from destroying it, repression against a political party ends up strengthening it. And that’s what is happening in Tanzania today.”

In the 2015 general elections in Tanzania, the current President, John Magufuli under CCM gunned 8,882,935 (58.46%) votes followed by CHADEMA presidential candidate, Edward Lowassa who got 6,072,848 (39.97%) votes with ACT-Wazalendo candidate Anna Mghiwira scoring 98,763 (0.65%) votes.

In the national assembly, the ruling CCM made up with 252 seats, CHADEMA had 70 seats, Civic United Front got 42 seats and ACT-Wazalendo holding one seat.

Rights groups say the intimidation of political opponents has escalated sharply under Magufuli, a strongman whose administration has wielded wide-ranging laws to silence government critics.

Police have broken up opposition gatherings and shut down Chadema meetings, the party says.

Their activists have been kidnapped and beaten, and at least one has blamed authorities for an attack in 2017 which saw him shot multiple times. Several have disappeared and turned up murdered. - Africa