Tanzania’s Magufuli re-elected for second term

Tanzanian President John Magufuli was re-elected for a second term in office on Friday.

He recorded 84 percent of votes in a poll his main rival, Tundu Lissu, said was riddled with irregularities such as ballot-box stuffing.

Lissu, the Chadema party candidate, won only 13 percent of the vote, after denouncing widespread fraud, intimidation, and oppression of the opposition.

The chairman of the country’s electoral commission, Semistocles Kaijage, announced the outcome of the election on Friday evening.

READ ALSO: TANZANIA: Amnesty Int’l, HRW accuse Tanzanian govt of promoting repression, dissent

He said: “The commission declares John Magufuli of CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) who garnered the majority of votes as the winner in the presidential seat.”

Voter turnout was 50.7 percent from more than 29 million voters, with over 260,000 votes declared invalid.

Magufuli won with only 58 percent of the vote in 2015.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now