Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has won resoundingly in elections held recently after the country’s main opposition party, Chadema, said earlier this month it would not be taking part in the elections.
Chadema boycotted the poll alleging government manipulations, including the mass disqualification of its candidates. Chadema president Freeman Mbowe said in November:
Our party believes it is wiser not to support such electoral cheating. To continue to participate in elections of this kind is to legitimise illegality.
According to reports, 4 of Tanzania’s 26 mainland regions did not hold polls at all because of the opposition boycott and in most cases, CCM candidates were unopposed.
Al Jazeera reports that CCM candidates won more than 99 per cent of the 12,000 village chairmanships contested, as well as all of the country’s more than 4,000 street leadership positions.