Tanzanians Vote for New President

Tanzanians queue to cast their votes in the presidential election, at a polling station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Oct. 25, 2015. Voting has started in Tanzania’s general elections in which the ruling party faces a strong challenge from a united oppositi

Voters in Tanzania are going to the polls Sunday to elect a new president and parliament in what is expected to be a tight race in the East African country.

Long lines of voters began gathering hours before dawn in the main city Dar es Salaam, with centers there opening on time at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) and lines moving quickly.

The long-time ruling CCM party is facing increasing pressure to speed up the country’s development and tackle its persistent poverty rate, but analysts still predict a victory for CCM.

Tanzania’s Minister of Works John Magufuli, 55, is the presidential candidate for the CCM. Opposition party Chadema selected former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa, 62, as its candidate.

Peace, unity

Both Magufuli and Lowassa have made repeated calls for the preservation of peace and national unity in speeches denouncing tribalism, religious violence and corruption.

Analysts have warned that the unusually tight race could spark tensions, with the opposition providing the first credible challenge to the CCM since the introduction of multi-party democracy in 1995.

Current President Jakaya Kikwete is completing his two five-year terms, as allowed by the constitution. Tanzania has a long history of presidents observing term limits, unlike many other African countries.

More than 140 international poll observer missions are in the country to monitor Sunday’s presidential, parliamentary and local elections.

Polls close as 4 p.m. (1300 GMT).

In addition to the presidential race, voters will also be casting ballots in parliamentary and local polls Sunday, including on the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, just off mainland Tanzania, which will also hold its own presidential elections.

Results

The National Electoral Commission of Tanzania said it expects to announce the winner of the presidential vote within three days. Tanzania’s constitution provides for the independence of the electoral commission from the government.

According to the World Bank, Tanzania’s population between the ages of 14 and 25 almost doubled in 20 years, from 4.4 million in 1990 to 8.1 million in 2010. It is expected to increase to 11 million by 2020 – numbers that should be of great interest to Tanzania’s politicians, regardless of political party.

Tanzania is thought to have one of the world’s largest populations of albinos – people who lack normal pigmentation resulting in abnormally white skin and hair.

They are often attacked in Tanzania for their body parts, which some people believe contain mystical powers. The demand for good luck charms was on the rise during the political campaigns.

The Tanzania Albinism Society said several albinos have been killed in the run-up to the elections.

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