Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

We are holding Tanzania's destiny in our hands

Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at least 29 million Tanzanians – as per the National Electoral Commission (NEC) figures – are expected to troop to polling stations across the country to elect the Union President, Members of Parliament and Councillors. At the same time, other than voting for the Union President, Zanzibaris will also be electing their President, Members of the House of Representatives, and Local Council Members. According to figures by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), there are at least 440,000 voters in the Isles, 50,000 less compared to 2015 elections.

The ruling CCM’s Dr John Magufuli is seeking re-election for his second five-year term for the Union presidency, while CCM’s Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi is contesting for the Zanzibar presidency as incumbent Dr Ali Mohamed Shein is not eligible for a third term.

Dr Magufuli is facing 14 other challengers from the opposition. As it turned out, the campaign on the mainland has become a mainly two-horse campaign, with Chadema’s Tundu Lissu likely his main challenger.

In Zanzibar elections, ACT-Wazalendo’s Seif Sharif Hamad who is running for the top office for the sixth time is the main challenger to CCM’s Dr Mwinyi.

The campaigns leading to today’s Election Day drew all manner of excitement, with the main parties pulling huge crowds to their rallies. The election manifestos for which the parties sought votes also dwelt on key issues as far as the development of Tanzania and its people are concerned. While CCM based their manifesto on the performance of the fifth phase government of Dr Magufuli, the main Opposition Chadema touted what they referred to as ‘people-centred development’ with more individual freedoms and broadened participation of the private sector in the development of the country. All the other candidates too had their key messages delivered.

Now that Tanzanians have heard the key messages in the election manifestos, we believe they are ready to make a decision on who they will elect into the different levels of leadership.

This is why Election Day is crucial for the future of the country. Despite the differing political affiliations, the people should all want the same outcome: a peaceful, credible, free and fair elections.

High-stakes elections

There is no doubt that these are high-stake elections. This is due to the fact that they are likely to have a profound impact on Tanzania’s democracy. Every Tanzanian is therefore a key stakeholder in the electoral process. Hence, each political party, every citizen, members of the security forces, NEC, ZEC and poll officials—everyone has the duty to protect the legitimacy of this General Election.

For this to happen, all must be guided by law and the integrity of their respective actions. The main goal should be protecting the will of the people as that is the spirit of the Nation.

For decades, Tanzania has been an island of peace. Credible, free and fair elections, resulting from integrity of every stakeholder in these elections, will guarantee this unique identity and even elevate the country’s status as a beacon of democracy.

The fact that the election campaigns have generally been peaceful is a clear statement that Tanzanians want justice, peace and development. Hence, a few spoilers, due to their personal interests, should not be allowed to undermine this election.

This is why we call for transparency during the entire electoral process, particularly during tallying of votes and announcing of the winners. All must be done timely with all the representatives of the competing parties as stipulated in the Electoral Act and its Regulations.

Members of the security organs must conduct themselves with integrity to ensure that the people express their will freely, without fear or feeling intimidated in any way. Every citizen must act prudently and exercise restraint to ensure elections run smoothly. They must abide by the laws and rules that govern the process.

We hope that the relevant forces take deliberate measures to assure everyone that all is safe so that all eligible voters would go to the polling stations to cast their vote. At the end of the day, Tanzania must remain united, peaceful and secure.

May God bless and protect Tanzania and Tanzanians!