tanzania elections 2020

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Oct. 31, 2020; CAIRO — After a pivotal poll marred by violence, opposition arrests and accusations of rigging, Tanzania’s electoral commission said … The government has cracked down on political dissent, muzzled media and rights groups and passed legislation reinforcing the party’s hold on power. image copyright Reuters. But his administration has also been accused of stepping up repression. Boris Johnson receives a shot of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which many European countries have resumed using. Authorities in Tanzania killed at least four people and carried out other serious abuses that marred the national elections in late October and early November 2020, Human Rights Watch … The opposition boycotted the re-run, and tensions remain high. FILE - In this Saturday, July 11, 2020 file photo, President John Magufuli speaks at the national congress of his ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in Dodoma, Tanzania. He has an odd way of ensuring it. Their presidential candidate in 2015 – in coalition with other opposition parties – was Edward Lowassa. Read more: Opinion: Tanzania's 2020 election must reflect the will of the people. The government also revoked the license of the newspaper Tanzania Daima, owned by Freeman Mbowe’s family, in June, the latest in a series of suspensions of media outlets. Registered Voters: 29188347 (2020 est.) Tanzania's main opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu, speaks during a Reuters interview in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania October 7, 2020. Gender Data: Female Population: 29,326,051 (July 2020 est.) In 2012, energy companies discovered natural gas reserves off Tanzania’s coast, but exports have not yet begun. The mood in Zanzibar remained tense, eyewitnesses said, with shops closed and the police engaging protesters in some neighborhoods. Mr. Magufuli has also helped lift Tanzania’s economy from low-income to lower-middle income status, according to the World Bank. Copy link. Many believe that should Mr. Magufuli be re-elected, the government may become even more regressive, enacting political and constitutional changes that could include the lifting of term limits and further restrictions on civil freedoms. Tanzania: Election 2020 - Nearly Half of Registered Voters Stayed Away. Since January, they have suspended at least six media outlets for periods ranging from one week to eleven months, said Muthoki Mumo, the sub-Saharan Africa representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists. Lissu himself subsequently faced an assassination attempt in 2017, and lived in exile in Belgium from that point until July 2020, when he returned to Tanzania. The opposition does plan to contest the 2020 elections. Tanzania's President John Magufuli addresses his supporters during his presidential campaign rally at the Tanganyika Parkers Grounds in Kawe in Dar es Salaam, Oct. 14, 2020. And broadcasting regulations were changed to require Tanzanian broadcasters to seek authorization before using material produced by foreign media. The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, called on Tanzanian political leaders and their supporters to “refrain from violence,” and the head of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, urged the authorities to “ensure a conducive environment to enable citizens to cast their votes in a safe and peaceful manner.”. Gender Data: Female Population: 29,326,051 (July 2020 est.) “This is to scare people not to be in groups or to plan any kind of physical confrontation during election.”. Elected on an anti-corruption platform, Mr. Magufuli, popularly known as “the Bulldozer,” has been lauded for his efforts to strengthen the economy, cut wasteful public spending and revive infrastructure projects. “It is difficult to imagine that the Tanzanian press, so systematically assaulted by the state, can cover the elections independently and safely.”. Europe lifts suspensions of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a new wave of infections results in lockdowns. NAIROBI, Kenya — With opposition figures harassed and arrested, news coverage severely restricted and social media mysteriously slowing down, many have come to two predictions about Tanzania’s election on Wednesday: The president will win. Concurrently with the general election, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar will also hold regional elections. The full list can be found on the NEC website. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Mr. Magufuli, who is seeking a second five-year term, and on the governing Party of the Revolution, which has dominated Tanzanian politics under one name or another since independence in 1961. Is Tanzania a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980) This includes the Legal and Human Rights Center, which coordinates a coalition of nongovernmental organizations that have historically monitored the country’s polls, said Oryem Nyeko, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. Tanzanian army personal vote in Dodoma during Tanzania election Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. The opposition leader Tundu Lissu returned to Tanzania after three years in exile to challenge the president. Its tradition of competitive political contest and inclusion, built since the restoration of multipartyism 25 years ago, has recently suffered severe setbacks because of shrinking civic space and low tolerance for political plurality. close. Voters will elect a president plus most of the 393 seats in the unicameral National Assembly. Population and Registered Voters: Population: 58,552,845 (July 2020 est.) Story by Reuters. Additionally, the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar will hold elections to choose its president, most of the 88 members of its unicameral House of Representatives, and local councillors. For one thing, Mr. Magufuli will hear none of it. Share page. Rights groups say the authorities have used stringent legislation, prosecution and arbitrary shutdowns of media outlets to subdue independent coverage of the elections. “For the sake of peace and justice, let us move toward a world in which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny.” Ronald Reagan, Westminster Address, By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our, Tanzania’s socialist Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party and its predecessors have been in power since 1961. About sharing. A voter casts her ballot at Wazo Hill polling station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on October 28. Oct. 31, 2020; CAIRO — After a pivotal poll marred by violence, opposition arrests and accusations of rigging, Tanzania’s electoral commission said … The government rejected reports of deaths and injuries in Zanzibar. The Economist notes, “Today Tanzania is on the descent from patchy democracy towards slapdash dictatorship.” While the country has historically been a beacon of stability, the next elections could cause an eruption of protest and chaos if they are not seen as free and fair. In the 2015 elections, deemed imperfect but credible by observers, CCM’s John Magufuli won the presidency, and has subsequently launched a crackdown on the opposition, media, civil society, and the private sector. Authorities annulled the results of the 2015 elections in Zanzibar after results indicated a possible opposition victory. This came just hours after his party reported that police officers had killed 10 people and injured 50 others in Zanzibar on Tuesday after, it said, citizens saw the army delivering marked ballots. Many journalists from outside news organizations, including The New York Times, were not able to obtain accreditation to cover this week’s elections. #TANZANIA #ELECTIONS2020 This stream is created with #PRISMLiveStudio The opposition boycotted the re-run, and. East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 16 th October, 2020: The EAC Election Observer Mission is due for deployment in Tanzania, effective Friday 23rd October, 2020. A voter casts her ballot at Wazo Hill polling station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on October 28. Mr. Lissu, the presidential candidate, has taken to describing this year’s vote as “without doubt the most important and the most consequential general election in our entire history.”, “It’s a do-or-die thing,” he said. “It’s a make- or-break election.”, As Tanzania Votes, Many See Democracy Itself on the Ballot. Authorities annulled the results of the 2015 elections in Zanzibar after results indicated a possible opposition victory. ... October 30, 2020 . Across Tanzania, internet users on Wednesday reported reduced bandwidth and disruption to social media and messaging platforms, including Twitter and WhatsApp. Thu 29 Oct 2020 06.51 EDT. Tanzanians watch President John Pombe Magufuli give a speech on a mobile phone. Furthermore, none of the individuals or organizations referenced have reviewed 21votes’ content, and their inclusion should not be taken to imply that they endorse us in any way. Days earlier, the authorities instructed telecommunication companies to restrict bulk messaging and voice services amid reports suggesting that cellphone users couldn’t send messages featuring names of opposition candidates. “If this continues, mass democratic action will be the only option to protect the integrity of the election,” he wrote on Twitter. Is Tanzania a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980) Share. Tanzania: Opposition cries foul over attacks on leaders as election looms, Assassination Survivor Bid to Run for President in Tanzania, If the elections aren’t free and fair, Tanzania will be a one-party state, Moldova Presidential Election: November 1, 2020, Cote d’Ivoire Legislative Elections: March 6, 2021. — Tanzania Elections Watch (@WatchTanzania) October 29, 2020 “Across the country, our polling agents were not allowed into 57 900 polling stations across the country, roughly 75% of our polling agents were not allowed into into polling stations. On Tuesday, as early voting kicked off in Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad, the presidential candidate on the island for the opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency party, was arrested. Copy link. Share. 29 October 2020. The Tanzanian president is nicknamed “the Bulldozer,” and he has brooked little dissent as he seeks a second term. It was at once answered by Tanzania government. Oct 22nd 2020. Ericky Boniphace/Deutsche Welle. The top diplomats from the United Kingdom and the United States in Tanzania on Tuesday voiced their concerns about violence in Zanzibar and called for restraint. Tanzania elections: At-a-glance summary Wednesday October 28 2020 Tanzania's President and Chama Cha Mapinduzi flagbearer John Magufuli (left) and former MP and presidential candidate for main opposition party Chadema Tundu Lissu. his agents were denied access to polling stations. White House Easter Egg Roll is canceled again because of the pandemic. E. Boniphace/Deutsche Welle. In the same vein, the leader and seven other officials of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT), a smaller opposition party, were arrested in June. Share page. REUTERS/Stringer “It is getting harder. He lost to Magufuli in elections marred by violence and widespread allegations of vote-rigging. Tanzanian journalists are “operating in an environment of deep fear amid regulatory aggression,” Ms. Mumo said. Major human rights groups, too, have been forbidden to observe the elections. Tanzania elections 2020: John Magufuli in bitter race against Tundu Lissu By Anne-Marie Bissada, Nicholas Norbrook Posted on Wednesday, 28 October 2020 10:58, updated on Thursday, 29 October 2020 16:56 Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of Chadema, said his life was in danger after armed men raided his hotel and abducted two of his security guards in the Hai district in the northern region of Kilimanjaro. Tanzania is due to hold presidential and legislative elections on October 25, 2020. On Tuesday, in the semiautonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, one opposition candidate for president was arrested, and on the Tanzanian mainland, the chairman of another opposition party said armed men had attacked his hotel. A staggering loss for Chadema. The mood in Zanzibar remained tense, eyewitnesses said, with shops closed and the police engaging protesters in some neighborhoods. Tanzanian President John Magufuli’s government has built up a formidable arsenal of laws to stifle all forms of dissent and effectively clamp down on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly ahead of elections on 28 October, Amnesty International said as they launched the report Lawfare – Repression by Law Ahead of Tanzania’s General Elections today. The populist Magufuli, who made his name in part by targeting corruption, now seeks a second five-year term in one of Africa's … A major opposition party in Tanzania is accusing police of shooting dead at least nine citizens amid unrest over alleged fraud on the eve of the country's presidential election. In the November 2019 local elections – which the opposition boycotted because many of their candidates were disqualified, harassed, threatened, or physically attacked – CCM won 99 percent of the seats. Tanzanian Elections 2020 – Return of the One-Party State. However, he has since returned to CCM along with other opposition figures who have been bribed or bullied into crossing the aisle and joining the ruling party. Now, He’s Fighting for Tanzania’s Presidency, BBC (July 27, 2020): Tanzania presidential hopeful Tundu Lissu returns home after attempt on life. “This is the election where any resemblance Tanzania bears to democracy probably ends,” said Dan Paget, a politics lecturer at the University of Aberdeen in Britain who has written extensively about the Tanzanian president, John Magufuli. Opposition groups say that the authorities have targeted them, leveling accusations that they organized unauthorized meetings and disqualifying dozens of their parliamentary candidates. Chrispin Mwakideu, DW (June 10, 2020): Tanzania: Opposition cries foul over attacks on leaders as election looms, Fumbuka Ng’Wanakilala, Bloomberg (June 8, 2020): Assassination Survivor Bid to Run for President in Tanzania, Zitto Kabwe, African Arguments (February 3, 2020): If the elections aren’t free and fair, Tanzania will be a one-party state. 21votes does not necessarily agree with all of the opinions expressed in the linked articles; rather, our goal is to curate a wide range of voices. close. More than 29 million people are registered to vote at more than 80,000 polling stations in mainland Tanzania and in Zanzibar. In the 2015 elections, deemed imperfect but credible by observers, CCM’s, The 2020 Elections and Harassment of the Opposition, Concurrently with the general election, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar will also hold regional elections. The government has amended its online content regulations to expand the range of prohibited content. NOW PLAYING: Election 2020 Tanzania swears in its first woman president Associated Press. Tanzania’s socialist Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party and its predecessors have been in power since 1961. Tanzania: Election Tracker 2020. B ACK IN JANUARY John Magufuli, Tanzania’s president, vowed that elections scheduled for October 28th would be free and fair. An orator with a flair for the dramatic, Mr. Magufuli has garnered support among ordinary voters for standing up to big corporations and for his surprise visits to villages and towns to help resolve complaints on the spot. Zitto Kabwe is a Member of Parliament in Tanzania and leader of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT), the largest party on Zanzibar and the second largest opposition party on the mainland. Virus or not, Tanzanians, unmasked and standing shoulder to shoulder, came out to cast their ballots in great numbers. Marco Longari/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. A day after Lissu announced his candidacy, Chadema leader Mbowe was violently attacked and left with a broken leg. But even as he solidifies his grip, Mr. Magufuli faces a spirited opposition that has defied all odds to build a wide grass-roots campaign, Dr. Paget, the University of Aberdeen lecturer, said in an email.