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A police officer enforces pre-election laws during ongoing security operations ahead of the Tanzanian general elections, in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania, on October 27, 2020. EPA-EFE / ANTHONY SIAME
The Tanzanian elections were well organized but accompanied by fear, repression and some questionable practices, and there is no recourse even if irregularities can be proven, says director of election observers Pansy Tlakula.
Protests planned for Monday morning by opposition parties disputing the outcome of Wednesday’s Tanzanian elections came to a halt when police intervened to arrest several opposition figures, and at least two dozen of them were reported activists were missing. This means that those who want to dispute the landslide victory of President John Magufuli of 84% of the votes, have no recourse, since the country’s constitution does not allow a judicial challenge of the results of the presidential elections.
The opposition leader ACT Wazalendo, Zitto Kabwe, has called for “an independent and credible investigation that is considered legitimate by all parties and citizens.” He proposed that the regional and international community work together to establish “an independent panel of eminent African leaders that will investigate the irregularities of the past week.” He also called for new elections with the help of other African countries.
“The opposition has nowhere to go,” said Pansy Tlakula, who headed the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa. [EISA] Observation mission of 14 people to the elections. “They say they want to protest, but they can’t.”
Tlakula is the former chair of the Independent Electoral Commission in South Africa and was in Tanzania in 2015 as part of the African Union Election Observer Team.
EISA noted in its preliminary report released on Friday that the elections were the first to be fully funded by the Tanzanian government, but noted that: “The political environment in which the 2020 elections took place was less open and less tolerant. than previous elections in Tanzania, including the limitation of political campaigns, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and freedom of expression. “
EISA Preliminary Statement – Tanzania General Election 2020 – FINAL
He added that the arrest and detention of “a significant number of opposition candidates, party leaders and members of the press” contributed to “creating an atmosphere of tension and fear.” He said instability and loss of life due to election-related violence, particularly in Zanzibar, “are of grave concern.”
Tlakula said she was impressed by the low voter turnout, even as Magufuli’s supporters claim she has strong populist support for her economic development initiatives.
The chairman of the National Electoral Commission Semistocles Kaijage announced on Friday that 15 million of the 29 million registered voters, out of a total population of 56 million, went to the polls on Wednesday.
“The low voter turnout was visible in the polling stations,” Tlakula said. “It means little confidence in the process. Even if you ask ordinary people if they are going to vote, they say ‘no, they are not voting’. People said what is the sense of voting when you already know who is going to win ”.
The attorneys his mission interacted with agreed, saying they saw no point in trying to challenge the electoral directives that were against the country’s constitution and that were issued in June, because they have little chance of being heard. “You just feel a sense of helplessness,” Tlakula said.
Another thing that did concern him was the number of presidential ballots left over at each voting station. He said that the usual practice is to cater for a 100% turnout plus a 10% cushion, which means that a polling station with 350 registered voters should not receive more than 400 papers.
“The fact that this station official had 10 unused books (each with 50 ballots) at the end of the day, that’s more than they needed in the first place and it didn’t comfort me.”
He added that the number of ballots in each station was not declared or verified at the beginning of the vote nor was it counted at the end. Another thing that caused him concern was the fact that the bags in which the ballots were kept were not sealed in the presence of observers.
He said it was impossible to report irregularities because although the electoral commission asked observers to do so, the director of elections never provided them with a phone number, and none of the polling station officials knew where to report them either. Organizations wishing to provide voter education were banned, as burdensome requirements had been established to restrict the registration of non-governmental organizations.
Tlakula said he was surprised that one of the schools used as a voting center, a stone’s throw from the presidential seat at State House, was in “appalling condition” and the classroom floor had holes in it.
He said that Magufuli “is acclaimed in terms of economic development and Tanzania has indeed developed in terms of big projects.” This was visible in large buildings.
“While I salute you and congratulate you on that, if you are committed to economic development, why not start with the small things: fixing schools, fixing roads? The roads in the residential areas are bad. Tanzania’s per capita gross national income has increased from $ 1,020 in 2018 to $ 1,080 in 2019, which meant that its ranking was upgraded to a lower-middle-income country. ”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has yet to send a congratulatory message to newly re-elected President John Magufuli, who was presented with his Dodoma winner certificate on Sunday. Despite reports that his goal is to extend his term beyond the two constitutionally allowed terms, Magufuli, who relies heavily on religion in his leadership, said in his acceptance speech: “I thank the Tanzanians for elect us in the second and last term. May God help me now to deliver what they expect ”.
The ANC has also been slow to congratulate its fraternal liberation counterpart, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, on his decisive victory at the polls.
Western governments have expressed dissatisfaction with the elections, with British Minister for Africa James Duddridge saying on Sunday: “The UK is concerned about widespread allegations of interference in the country’s elections, including pre-filled ballot boxes and the denial of the entry of party agents into polling stations. We are also deeply concerned by reports of violence and heavy hand by the police in elections, including the arrest of opposition political leaders. ”
Duddridge called for “a transparent investigation by the electoral authorities into the reported irregularities.” The United States, Canada and Norway have expressed similar concerns.
The African Union, which sent a five-member technical observation mission headed by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, has yet to comment. The East African Community observer mission has declared the elections to be free and fair, while the Southern African Development Community, of which Tanzania is a member, observed the elections through a virtual process. DM
