Tanzania president-elect John Pombe Magufuli was on Sunday issued with the certificate of victory at the National Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Dodoma.
NEC Chairman Semistocles Kaijage declared Magufuli the winner of this year’s presidential election for a second term on Friday with 12.5 million votes (84%) amid strong opposition from his main challenger Tundu Lissu who managed 1.9 million votes (13%).
While receiving the certificate, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) candidate thanked Tanzanians for re-electing him and his Vice President Samia Suluhu. He also thanked the people of semi-autonomous Zanzibar island for electing CCM candidate Hussein Mwinyi as President.
Magufuli will take oath of office on Thursday, November 5, 2020, at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma.
The president-elect called on Tanzanians to go back to work saying the election is now over.
“Sasa uchaguzi umekwisha kilichobaki ni kuchapa kazi (the election is now over let us build our country), ” he said.
Read: Tanzania’s John Pombe Magufuli Declared President In Election Marred By Fraud Claims
Magufuli said the election was largely peaceful and thanked some of the candidates who accepted the outcome of the poll which was conducted on Wednesday, October 28.
This comes a day after the country’s main opposition parties Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) and Alliance for Change and Transparency–Wazalendo (ACT–Wazalendo) rejected the outcome of the poll and asked for a fresh election.
In a joint statement on Saturday, Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe and ACT Wazalendo party leader Zitto Kabwe alleged that the election was marred by irregularities that greatly affected the credibility of the election.
Read Also: Tundu Lissu Says He Won’t Accept Election Results, Calls For Mass Action
The poll was marred by claims of arrests, restricted access to polling stations, multiple voting, pre-ticking of ballots and widespread blocking of social media.
Mbowe and Kabwe are among opposition lawmakers who lost their seats in the Wednesday poll.
“In our unity, we believe that what happened on October 28, 2020, has no merit or legitimacy to be called a general election, but it is the usurpation and looting of Tanzanians’ right to elect their leaders through democratic means …,” said Mbowe.
Read Also: How Massive Irregularities Affected Tanzania Poll’s Credibility – Observers’ Report
“We demand the disbanding of the National Election Commission (NEC) and Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the creation of independent electoral commissions to oversee a repeat of the general election.”
The leaders called for street protests beginning tomorrow, Monday, November 2, to force the Magufuli regime vacate office.
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