Results of Tanzania’s election are going in the favour of President John “Bulldozer” Magufuli of the ruling Chama Cha Mapenduzi (CCM) party which has governed the East African country since independence in 1961 amid stints of dictatorial actions that have resulted in human rights violations.
The 2020 election has been marred by allegations of voter irregularities, electoral fraud, internet shutdowns, arbitrary arrests and abuse by security forces, and the blocking of electoral observers from ensuring free and fair elections are conducted.
As the results are being released in piecemeal by the National Electoral Commission, the opposition candidates have already declared the process as fraudulent as all opposition strongholds have already been won by the incumbent.
“There was unprecedented levels of fraud and use of force in this election that stole the will of the people to elect the leaders of their choice...We reject the results being announced by the polls agency as they are not anchored in law and are a travesty of the will of the people of Tanzania,” said opposition Chadema candidate Tundu Lissu who addressed local media from his home in Dar es Salaam.
He also bemoaned the prevention of opposition party agents from observing the election and called on the international community to take action.
A GhanaWeb reporter in the country said that opposition observers were not allowed at polling stations while international media and observers were not given accreditation to cover the process which was heavily monitored by security personnel from the military and police.
He added that some already marked ballot papers in favour of the ruling party were reportedly found in some areas raising a lot of concerns about the fairness of the election as almost all the opposition seats in the parliamentary race were being lost to CCM.
Chadema party chairman and long-time opposition leader, Freeman Mbowe, has lost his seat to a CCM candidate in the Kilimanjaro region to a candidate from the governing CCM party. Four other opposition stronghold seats out of the 12 have so far been lost to the ruling party.
The National Electoral Commission Chairman Judge Semistocles Kaijage has described the reports of ballot stuffing as fake news. “The information has not yet been reported to the NEC. The commission calls upon all citizens to ignore because they are baseless,” he told local media on Wednesday.
Worse situation in Zanzibar
Simultaneously being held, the election in the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar has already found its winner in the ruling party presidential candidate, Dr Hussein Mwinyi, who has already been declared as the president-elect of Zanzibar. He occupies the third-highest position in the Union government of Tanzania.
He won by beating 14 other aspirants with 76.07% amid opposition protest against the results. Opposition leader Seif Sharif Hamad was arrested twice - on Tuesday and Thursday - with some opposition members for storming a polling station with supporters during special voting and subsequently for calling on supporters to hit the streets after challenging the results.
Tension is high in the archipelago with a lot of military presence parading the island to quell any protest as dozens of people have already been arrested and detained. Already, there are reports of alleged shooting and killing of unarmed people on the island by the Tanzanian army and police force.
An online petition has been signed by over 4,000 people for President Magufuli to be charged before the ICC for crimes against humanity. It was started by Fichua Tanzania, an online platform documenting and exposing human rights abuses in Tanzania.
“Today in Pemba, the Tanzanian army (JWTZ) and Tanzania Police Force started shooting and killed unarmed people in Pemba Island- Zanzibar. This is a series of gross human rights abuses since President Magufuli came into power in October 2015, this time President Magufuli as Commander in Chief (CiC) should be held directly responsible for these unacceptable crimes against humanity,” said the group.
“Under NO circumstances should citizens/civilians be shot and killed by soldiers and police officers in uniforms. The perpetrators including Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Venance Mabeyo, Inspector General of Police Force- Simon Sirro and Director General of Intelligence Services Diwani Athumani SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE,” it added.
Internet access disrupted and social media blocked
Since Tuesday, Tanzanians have faced disruption of their internet and access to social media which is a regular occurrence in some countries where dissent is stifled. Already, some social media platforms have reported disruption of their system in Tanzania.
“Ahead of tomorrow's election in #Tanzania, we're seeing some blocking and throttling of Twitter. #TanzaniaDecides2020. Internet shutdowns are hugely harmful, and violate basic human rights and the principles of the #OpenInternet #KeepItOn,” Twitter posted on its platform on the eve of the election.
“Confirmed: Widespread disruption to social media registered across #Tanzania on eve of elections; high impact to Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram and Google services on Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo, Halotel and Zantel; incident ongoing ???? #TanzaniaElections2020,” tweeted internet observation body Net Blocks.
Virtual private networks (VPN) which allow people to go past the restriction have also been compromised as text message verification have also been blocked, tweets VPN company Proton VPN which is giving users alternatives to sign up.
Dictatorial Actions
In November 2016, President Magufuli signed the Media Services Act of 2016 into law giving officials powers to shut down media organisations that violate their licenses and requires newspapers to apply for an annual license. A bill that journalists said was aimed at muzzling freedom of the press.
In 2017, the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations 2017 was passed by parliament to regulate online and social media content. The law recommends a fine of 5 million Tanzanian Shillings ($2,300), a minimum of 12 months in jail or both for those found guilty of violating the regulations.
According to the regulations, social media users and online content producers will be held liable for materials deemed “indecent, obscene, hate speech, extreme violence or material that will offend or incite others, cause annoyance, threaten harm or evil, encourage or incite crime, or lead to public disorder.”
Also, those who publish information that broadly portrays “hate propaganda, threaten national security or spark a health crisis, racial tension or violence, touching on possible terror attacks” will attract punishment.
Individual social media users will also be held solely responsible for the content they share while online service providers “will be required to install user manuals and record proceedings of their business around the clock by installing CCTV cameras in and out of the premises”.
For online radio, TV and other digital platforms including bloggers and website managers, “they will need to apply for registration from TCRA once the regulations officially come into force.” They are also required to ban anonymous users from their platforms and “fully cooperate with law enforcement agencies as required,” the regulations say.
The government has been accused of increasingly undermining democracy by curbing dissent and stifling free speech. A number of people including entertainers have been arraigned in court and some sentenced for incitement through online and social media posts.
International Reactions
Members of the diplomatic corps in Tanzania and civil society organisations have called on the security forces to exercise restraint during the elections after reports of violence in the country.
United States Ambassador to Tanzania, Donald J. Wright, has expressed alarm at the reports from Zanzibar and called on the security forces to "show restraint, and the NEC & ZEC must carry out their duties with integrity. Let's all pray for peaceful, fair elections."
Same concerns were shared by his counterparts from the United Kingdom and Canada, David Concar and Pamela O'Donnell respectively.
Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf added her voice by standing in solidarity with the Tanzanian people. "The reports of violence and detentions in #Tanzania are alarming and deeply distressing. I wish strength for Amujae Leader and MP @UpendoPeneza in the face of growing threats, and I stand in solidarity with all Tanzanians calling for a free, fair, and peaceful election," she tweeted.
Another five years for "The Bulldozer"
With the obvious win of the 2020 elections by the Chama Cha Mapenduzi (CCM) party and President John “Bulldozer” Magufuli, the stifling of dissent through laws, regulations and the use of state security services is expected to continue unabated for another five years.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
