Nairobi, Kenya – With anti-government figures harassing and arresting, a heavy ban on news and a mysterious slowdown on social media, many have two predictions about Tanzania’s election on Wednesday: the president will win. And the country will lose.
“This is an election where Tanzania ends equality with democracy,” said Dan Paget, a professor of politics at the University of Berlin in Britain, about John Magufuli, the president of Tanzania.
The election is widely seen as a referendum on Mr Magufuli, who is seeking another five-year term, and the ruling party that has dominated Tanzanian politics since independence in 1961.
Elected on an anti-corruption platform, Mr Magufuli, known as a “bulldozer”, has been praised for his efforts to strengthen the economy, cut wasteful public spending and revitalize infrastructure projects.
But his administration has also been accused of increasing repression. The government has cracked down on political dissent, confused media and right-wing groups and passed legislation strengthening party power.
It is not clear how the epidemic could affect the election. For one thing, Mr. Magufuli, none of them will listen. The 60-year-old president has declared Tanzania coronavirus free, claiming that the power of prayer has helped clear the virus from the East African nation.
Whether there is a virus or not, a large turnout is expected by Tanzanians.
More than 29 million people are registered to vote at more than 80,000 polling stations in mainland Tanzania and the semiautonomous Zanzibar archipelago. They will elect the president, legislators and local councilors. There are 15 presidential candidates, with Mr Mrigufuli running against veteran opposition leader Tundu Lisu and former foreign minister Bernard Membe.
When it’s all over, few people doubt that Mr. Magufuli will be the winner. The government has not made it so easy for those seeking change.
Opposition groups called for a halt to the protests, saying they had been targeted by authorities and disqualified by the opposition. Authorities opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services and the army. ” Tried to preach Or gain accreditation for poll observers.
“We had to fight to get our polling agents sworn in because the law requires them to be sworn in before they can enter polling stations,” said presidential candidate Mr Lisu, who was shot 16 times. 2017 assassination attempt. “It was a struggle.”
A government spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
With early voting set to begin in Zanzibar on Tuesday, CF Sharif Hamad, the party’s presidential candidate for change and transparency for the opposition alliance, Was arrested. It comes hours after police officers in Zanzibar reportedly killed 10 people and wounded 50 others, saying civilians had seen the army cast a marked ballot.
The mood in Zanzibar was tense, eyewitnesses said, shops were closed and police were protesting in some neighborhoods.
“Police officers are throwing tear gas,” said Omeri Modogwa, a 32-year-old businessman. “These people have to be intimidated into not staying in groups or planning to have any kind of physical confrontation during the election.”
The government has denied reports of deaths and injuries in Zanzibar. Inspector General of Police, Simon Siro, said 42 people were arrested and charged with throwing stones at police vehicles carrying ballots.
Top diplomats from the United Kingdom and the United States in Tanzania on Tuesday Voiced their concerns About Zanzibar and violence Called for restraint. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, Called on Tanzania’s political leaders and their supporters have called for “abstaining from violence” and African Union President Mausa Faki Mahamat urged authorities to “ensure a conducive environment for citizens to vote in a safe and peaceful manner.”
Around Tanzania, Internet users reported bandwidth and declines on Tuesday Disruption on social media and messaging platformsIncluding Twitter And WhatsApp. Days ago, officials Instructed Bulk messaging and voicemail between telecommunications companies will be banned Reports Indicates that cellphone users cannot send messages showing the names of opposition candidates.
News organizations have also been silenced.
Rights groups say authorities have used strict laws, procedures and arbitrary restrictions on media outlets to subdue the independent shield of elections. Since January, they have suspended at least six media outlets for a period of one week to eleven months, said Muthoki Mumo, a sub-Saharan African representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Tanzanian journalists are “operating in an atmosphere of deep fear amid regulatory aggression,” Ms. Momo said. “It’s hard to imagine that the Tanzanian press, so systematically attacked by the state, could cover the election independently and safely.”
The government has amended its content online content rules to increase the range of restricted content. The rules of broadcasting were changed to require Tanzanian broadcasters to obtain authorization before using content produced by foreign media.
The new rules also require government think tanks to be assigned to foreign journalists – if they are allowed in the country. Many outside news reporters, including The New York Times, failed to gain accreditation to cover this week’s election.
Major human rights groups have also been barred from monitoring the election. These include the Legal and Human Rights Center, which coordinates a coalition of non-governmental organizations that have historically monitored the country’s election history, said Orim Nayako, an African researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“A very important voice has been removed in the conversation about the election,” Mr Naiko said in a phone interview.
Supporters of Mr Magufuli say his record speaks for itself.
His administration is overseeing plans to build the much-anticipated hydropower dam, open a modern railway and revive the country’s national airline. Mr Magufuli has also helped move Tanzania’s economy from low-income to low-middle-income status, the World Bank said.
A speaker for dramatic plays, Mr. Mrigufuli has garnered the support of the general electorate for his surprise visits to villages and towns to stand out among the general corporators and resolve the venue and grievances.
But even as it strengthens its grip, Mr. Magufuli faces fierce opposition, which has overcome all obstacles to creating a massive grassroots campaign, Mr. Page, a professor at Page Burden University, said in an email. If he would pay with more seats in parliament, he said, “it would be the loneliness of courage left in the otherwise five-year-old wintering winter.”
Many believe that if Mr Mrigufuli is re-elected, the government could become even more competitive, implementing political and constitutional changes that could include extending the term limit and imposing more restrictions on civil liberties.
Mr. Lisu, the presidential candidate, described this year’s vote as “the most important and most result-oriented general election in our entire history.”
He said, “Do it or die. “It’s a make-or-break election.”
