Jafo maintains local government elections were free and fair

Mr Suleiman Jafo

What you need to know:

  • Embassies query the credibility of the elections, which were boycotted by the opposition, but minister insists the polls were free and fair

Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday responded to concerns voiced by the US and British embassies about last Sunday’s local government elections, saying they were conducted in line with Tanzanian laws and regulations.

The embassies questioned the credibility of the elections, which were boycotted by major opposition parties.

“That is their opinion, but what I know is that the elections were free and fair, and were in line with Tanzanian laws and regulations,” said the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Mr Selemani Jafo.

The ministry supervised the elections to get village, street and street chairpersons.

Chadema, the leading opposition party, pulled out of the elections, saying nearly all of its candidates were unfairly disqualified from the polls. Six other parties followed suit, including Civic United Front (CUF), ACT-Wazalendo and NCCR-Mageuzi, all of which have representation in Parliament.

“Some opposition parties boycotted the elections, while others participated. A number of candidates from parties which boycotted the elections refused to put their withdrawal in writing, and some won,” Mr Jafo said, citing as an example two villages in Nkasi District, Rukwa Region, where Chadema candidates carried the day.

The ruling CCM won over 99 per cent of all seats in the elections.

The US and British embassies said in online posts that they were concerned about the way the electoral process was handled, and questioned its credibility.

“Election officials overwhelmingly excluded opposition candidates during the election process. This troubling development calls into question the credibility of the election process and results,” the US embassy said on its website.

“The government of Tanzania’s refusal to provide observation accreditation in a timely manner to credible, experienced organizations further erodes confidence in the process,” it added.

Similar concerns were voiced by British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke.

“We are deeply concerned about the handling of the civic elections. The lack of accreditation for credible domestic observation, coordinated disqualification of opposition candidates, and their decision to boycott have all denied Tanzanians the opportunity to decide their local leaders in a free, fair and transparent manner,” she said on the British High Commission’s Twitter account.