Tanzanian Government Faces Fraud Allegations

Incumbent Tanzanian President John Magufuli faces allegations of election fraud following his victory on October 28. [Wikimedia Commons]

Tanzanian President John Magufuli was sworn in for a second term on November 5 after an allegedly-fraudulent election.

While Magufuli has been praised for his high-profile efforts to challenge corruption and develop the economy, the populist president has been the target of recent criticism for his alleged COVID-19 denial and increasing authoritarianism. 

Magufuli won the October 28 election in a landslide, receiving 84 percent of the vote. Tundu Lissu of the Chadema party, Magufuli’s challenger, received only 13 percent. To add to Magufuli’s victory, his political party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), won more than 98 percent of the country’s 393 parliamentary seats.

Shortly after the results of the election were announced, both Lissu and his fellow opposition leader Zitto Kabwe of the ACT-Wazalendo party called for new elections and mass protests. The opposition is pushing back on the basis of election fraud and “widespread irregularities,” including actions such as ballot-stuffing and preventing opposition polling agents from accessing polling stations. A voter in Zanzibar noted, “to our surprise we have been given only four ballot papers while we’re required to vote for five candidates.” 

In addition, internet services experienced a massive blockage in the days leading up to the election, and very few foreign media outlets received approval to report on the ground. In a statement released prior to the election, Tanzania Elections Watch claimed it was “alarmed by the clampdown on communication channels, including the suspension of bulk SMS services.”

The National Electoral Commission has denied all allegations of fraud, calling them “unfounded”. 

To add fuel to the allegation-ridden fire, results declared by the Electoral Commission cannot be challenged in court. “Mass democratic action will be the only option to protect the integrity of the election,” said Lissu.

Since the election results were announced, Tanzanian authorities have detained Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of the Chadema party, and Lissu. Zitto Kabwe has since gone into hiding, claiming, “I know they are hunting me down. I don’t know when, but they are after us. It’s a massive crackdown.” Roughly 300 activists from both Chadema and ACT-Wazalendo have been detained in recent days, according to opposition officials.

The international community has chimed in as well, with many countries, including the United States, acknowledging merit in the opposition’s allegations. As opposed to previous elections in Tanzania’s history, major international observers such as the EU were barred from monitoring the vote.

In a joint statement released on November 2, ACT-Wazalendo and Chadema declared, “We will not allow the repressive, illegitimate regime of John Magfuli to deprive us of our right to protest peacefully for the return of democracy to the United Republic of Tanzania.”