Tanzania on U.S. Radar as Alleged Poisoning, Clampdown Shape October Election
Tanzania on U.S. Radar as Alleged Poisoning, Clampdown Shape October Election
An increasingly ugly run-up to Tanzania’s presidential elections in October has spurred international criticism of President John Magufuli’s administration and heightened fears the vote’s credibility will be compromised.
Several leaders of the main opposition Chadema party were convicted of unlawful assembly, rioting, sedition and other charges on March 10, and ordered to pay fines totaling 350 million shillings ($152,000) or be jailed. The case, which the opposition says is politically motivated, stems from political violence that erupted in the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam two years ago.
The court ruling came a day after the police announced a probe into the alleged poisoning of Philip Mangula, a Magufuli ally and vice chairman of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party. Mangula has been hospitalized since collapsing at a party meeting on Feb. 28.
The conviction of the opposition leaders “on spurious charges is more evidence of deteriorating political space and freedoms in Tanzania,” the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Wednesday on Twitter. “The government’s efforts to criminalize the opposition further undermines the possibility of democratic polls later this year.”
Magufuli’s administration has faced American criticism before. In November, the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania condemned the exclusion of thousands of opposition candidates from local government elections and questioned the veracity of the outcome.
The ruling party denied orchestrating a crackdown on its opponents and welcomed this week’s court ruling. One of the eight people who were convicted defected from Chadema to the ruling party before the judgment.
“We would like to assure Tanzanians and the international community that the CCM party will continue to make sure that the judiciary is independent,” spokesman Humphrey Polepole told journalists in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.
A former schoolteacher, Magufuli took office in late 2015 and consolidated his grip last month when Bernard Membe, a former foreign affairs minister who’d challenged him for the ruling party’s presidential nomination, was expelled from its ranks. Magufuli is widely expected to seek a second five-year term, although he’s yet to announce his candidature.
Tackling Graft
While the president says he has made headway in improving government efficiency and tackling graft since taking office, his critics accuse him of trampling on civil liberties and trying to quash dissent. His administration has outlawed protests, anonymous blogging and criticism of parliament, and restricted pregnant girls from attending public schools.
The World Bank postponed a decision on whether to fund an education project in Tanzania in January, after activists criticized the directive for schoolgirls. The following month, Sweden cut financial aid to the southeastern African nation and said it would focus on supporting marginalized groups and defenders of democracy instead.
Since Magufuli took office “Tanzania has witnessed a marked decline in respect for free expression, association and assembly,” New York-based Human Right Watch said in its 2019 World Report.
The government denied the allegation.
Magufuli has also faced criticism that his economic policies are scaring off investors. He’s accused international businesses of short-changing Tanzania, and his government has increased its stakes in the gold and telecommunications industries.
Tanzania was a surprise addition to a list of countries whose nationals were restricted from traveling to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said the restriction was warranted because Tanzania had failed to adequately share information relating to terrorism and its passport system was lacking.
While Magufuli insists the elections will be free and fair, Dar es Salaam-based lawyer Fatma Karume says the authorities are hindering the opposition’s campaign.
“The conditions definitely do not exist for a credible election,” said Karume, a former president of the Tanganyika Law Society. “The premise of free and fair elections is that there must be a level playing field for all political parties, which is currently not the case in Tanzania.”
--With assistance from Paul Richardson.
To contact the reporter on this story: Fumbuka Ng'Wanakilala in Nairobi at fngwanakilal@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, David Malingha, Mike Cohen
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