Elections in Tanzania: Magufuli declared winner, opposition denounces fraud

Tanzanian President John Magufuli votes in the October 28 poll.

REUTERS / Stringer

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The Tanzanian Election Commission declared John Magufuli, candidate for a second five-year term, the winner of the presidential election on Friday evening.

But the opposition accuses the authorities of massive fraud.

Several observers have also severely criticized these repressive elections.

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The new president of Zanzibar, Hussein Ali Mwinyi, at the podium, said he was ready to work for reconciliation with the opposition.

With 76% of the vote, never has a president of the semi-autonomous territory been elected with such a high score, reports our correspondent in Nairobi,

Sébastien Németh

.

A hand extended, but opponents absent.

The main

leaders of the opposition

ACT-Wazalendo party in the archipelago have been arrested.

The party released photos showing some of the wounded being beaten by law enforcement.

Others are still missing.

Elsewhere in the country, the domination of power is even more overwhelming.

On Friday evening, the Election Commission credited President Magufuli with 84.39% of the vote.

“ 

The Commission says John Magufuli of the CCM, who won the majority of the votes, winner of the presidential election

 ,” announced NEC President Semistocles Kaijage.

The Assembly should become almost monocolour.

According to the latest results published by the NEC, the CCM of Magufuli, in power continuously since independence, won almost all of the 264 seats in Parliament allocated during the legislative ballot coupled with the presidential election.

“ 

It is no longer multiparty, it is a one-party system that pretends to be a democracy,

 ” said researcher Nic Cheeseman.

On the observers' side, two visions are opposed.

The Community of East African States spoke of a "

 normal vote

 ", a "

 professional organization

 " and a " 

credible process

 ".

The organization Tanzania Election Watch denounced the "

 most important setback for democracy in Tanzania, with a process well below standards to consider free voting fair and transparent

 ".

But the opposition is not giving up

.

She filed a case with the Commonwealth asking the organization to publicly disavow the elections, dispatch a delegation and suspend Tanzania from the organization.

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  • Tanzania

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Elections in Tanzania: several opponents arrested after controversial ballot

Tanzania: opposition rejects election results in advance