2020 Tanzanian general election

Background

In April 2019, Livingstone Lusinde, an MP for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, suggested that holding a presidential election in 2020 was not a good idea due to the cost, and that the money should be used for development projects.[2] The proposal was made in order to keep president John Magufuli in the office till 2025.[3]

Opposition parties Chadema, Alliance for Change and Transparency, and NCCR-Mageuzi announced they had started negotiations to form an alliance ahead of the election.[4]

The election commission announced that the campaign would run from August 26 to October 27.[5]

Electoral system

The president is elected by plurality voting; the candidate who receives the most votes is elected. Article 39(1) of the 1977 Constitution requires candidates to be Tanzanian citizens by birth, at least 40 years old, be nominated by a political party of which they are a member, be qualified to be an MP or a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, and not have any convictions related to tax evasion.[6]

Presidential candidates

CCM
See also: 2020 Chama Cha Mapinduzi presidential primaries

The ruling CCM (and its predecessor parties) has dominated the political scene since the nation attained independence in 1961. Following the restoration of multi-party politics in 1992, it has retained its popularity and the voters' confidence, winning all of the past five general elections (held in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015).[7] The previous election was won by Dr. John Magufuli, who will be running for a re-election for his second term.[8]

Opposition

CHADEMA

The main opposition party Chama cha Democracia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) held its general council conference in Dar-es-salaam on August 3, 2020. A total of seven members completed their nomination forms for the position for the Union President.[9]

A total of 453 of 456 party general council delegates attended the conference. The three names passed on by the central committee for the general council to vote on were, Tundu Lissu (405 votes), Lazaro Nyalandu (36 votes) and Mayrose Majige (1 vote).[9] Lissu was chosen as CHADEMA's Union presidential candidate.[14]

ACT-Wazalendo

Alliance for Change and Transparency-Wazalendo part held their central committee elections on 5 August 2020. The party's 420 central committee members nominated ex foreign minister Bernard Membe with 97.61% vote as the union presidential candidate. Membe was expelled from CCM earlier in the year and moved over to ACT to be able to run for president.[15]

Voters

According to the electoral body, more than thirty million voters had updated their information in the voter registry in between July 2019 and February 2020.

References
  1. "Tanzania to go to polls on October 28, National Electoral". The Citizen. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  2. "Tanzania: Mtera MP proposes presidential election to be skipped in 2020 polls". The Citizen. 8 April 2019.
  3. "No one can defeat Magufuli, so no need for 2020 elections: Tanzania MP". Africa News. 4 September 2019.
  4. https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/ACT-Wazalendo--Chadema-hint-at-a-possible-coalition/1840340-5572934-wws5xr/index.html
  5. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/tanzania-presidential-election-held-october-28-200721100331444.html
  6. "Constitution of Tanzania" (PDF). Judiciary of Tanzania. 1977. Article 39(1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  7. O'Gorman, Melanie (2012-04-01). "Why the CCM won't lose: the roots of single-party dominance in Tanzania". Journal of Contemporary African Studies. 30 (2): 313–333. doi:10.1080/02589001.2012.669566. ISSN 0258-9001.
  8. "Bloomberg - Are you a robot?". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  9. "Tanzania's opposition picks Tundu Lissu to battle Magufuli in 2020 polls". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  10. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/ea/Tanzania-parties-nominations-ahead-October-General-Election/4552908-5571900-1472xp1z/index.html
  11. ippmedia.com/en/news/aspirants-drawing-individual-manifestos
  12. https://www.habarileo.co.tz/habari/2020-06-175ee9fef06dac5.aspx
  13. https://www.eatv.tv/news/current-affairs/mtia-nia-wa-urais-chademaadaihanaanayemhofia
  14. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/africa/article/2001381149/tundu-lissu-to-fly-chadema-s-presidential-ticket
  15. "Membe to face Magufuli in October polls as ACT presidential". The Citizen. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
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