Mbowe: We’re boycotting upcoming by-elections

Dar es Salaam. In an unexpected move, Chadema’s chairman Freeman Mbowe has announced the decision reached by his party of boycotting future by-elections citing repeated violations of electoral law, rules and procedures.

Mr Mbowe said on Wednesday, September 19 that instead, the party will now focus more on programmes geared at rejuvenating the main Opposition party, emphasizing that “retreating was not surrendering”.

Recently, the National Electoral Commission (Nec) announced the upcoming parliamentary by-elections in Liwale constituency and 37 wards.

This is not the first time for Chadema to boycott by-elections, as the main Opposition party boycotted the councillorship by-election for Songoro Ward in Arumeru District, Arusha Region last year, citing violence and irregularities marring the polls.

In the same month, Chadema boycotted the mayoral election in Kinondoni Municipality.

But, yesterday, Mr Mbowe a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Kinondoni, Dar es Salaam that after its assessment of the recent by-elections for Ukonga and Monduli parliamentary seats and 21 wards, the Central Committee (CC) has decided to boycott future by-elections.

“We thought, as a country, we would be learning something through our participation in these by-elections,” said Mr Mbowe, “but it is clear we have not learned on handling elections that meet legitimate standards, we cannot give our blessings to these illegitimate acts.”

He blamed the militarization of the electoral process, something he said frightened voters, leading to low voter turnout.

“Ballot boxes are increasingly ceasing to be the means of getting legitimate representatives,” he said, adding that there has been unnecessary roughs and fouls that end making by-elections sham and completely useless.

Asked why the party has made a U-turn on a decision made earlier that they would always participate in polls, Mr Mbowe assured Tanzanians that they had no intentions of throwing their voters into confusion, but insisted that in politics, it was important to be elastic and make necessary changes by prioritizing the people’s and party’s interests.

In addition, Mr Mbowe said party lawyers and stakeholders were considering filing constitutional cases in court to challenge the country’s electoral system.

Mr Mbowe said this was a significant move, because the party had repeatedly been pointing out various weaknesses arising from the electoral process believing that authorities would take the necessary action to improve the country’s democratic atmosphere, but all proved to be in vein.