Dar es Salaam – Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday promised that upcoming local elections would be transparent and fair after accusations of increasing repression in the vote’s run-up.
Wednesday’s ballots are viewed as a test for Hassan, who took over in 2021 with promises of reforms and improved civic freedoms only to disappoint critics who accuse her of reverting to the authoritarian tactics of her predecessor.
Tanzania’s main opposition party Chadema’s leader Freeman Mbowe was briefly arrested last weekend after police broke up a rally using tear gas, according to the party.
Chadema also protested last week against what it said was the unfair disqualification of several of its candidates.
“It is the government’s commitment to ensure that the elections are conducted transparently, fairly,” Hassan said in a video posted to YouTube.
“Voting is our right, and it is our duty to exercise that right peacefully and calmly,” she added, urging respect for the decision of voters.
The vote will also serve as a barometer of the country’s political landscape ahead of a presidential election next October.
It is the first test at the ballot box for Hassan since she took office after the sudden death of her authoritarian predecessor John Magufuli in 2021.
She was initially feted for easing restrictions that Magufuli had imposed on the opposition and the media in the country of around 67 million people.
But rights groups and Western governments have criticised what they see as renewed repression ahead of the votes, with arrests of Chadema politicians as well as abductions and murders of opposition figures.
Chadema has likewise accused the security forces of involvement in the disappearances of several of its members and in the murder of Ali Mohamed Kibao, one of its leaders who was found dead on September 7.
Polling stations will be open on Wednesday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (0600 to 1400 GMT), the president said.
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Source: AFP
Picture: X/@africhinacentre
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