Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) political party still remains the ruling party in Tanzania even after 50 years of its reign. The Tanzanian elections which took place on the 25th of October in Dar es Salaam, the nation’s capital city, saw John Magufuli of CCM and Edward Lowassa of Chadema in a hot contest for the country’s presidency. Although Lowassa has alleged that the electronic system used to count the votes were manipulated, the outcome of the Sunday poll positions Chadema as a strong political contender. The elections, which have been termed by political analysts as the ‘tightest election race in the history of East Africa, saw the emergence of Chadema, an obscure party that gave CCM a run for its money.
The results of the elections announced on Thursday the 27th, by the head of the electoral commission, Damian Lubuva, placed Magufuli in the lead with 58.46 percent and Lowassa with 40. Magufuli was declared the winner and president of the United Republic of Tanzania. However, the results of the elections show that for the first time in several years, CCM had a narrow lead.
This 18 percent lead is the lowest CCM has recorded in the last four multiparty elections. In 2000, CCM had a 56 percent lead above its opposition, the Civic United Front (CUF). There was a huge boost in 2005, as CCM won the elections with 80 percent of the total votes. The closest contender to the victorious party was CUF with 12 percent. In the penultimate elections that held in 2010, CCM’s Kiwete won against Chadema’s Slaa by 36 percent.
While Chadema has refused to accept defeat by alleging that the elections were rigged, the party might have a greater chance at winning the 2020 presidential elections. In the parliamentary elections, which held at the same time as the presidential elections, a number of prominent party figures lost their seats, including at least nine cabinet ministers. This is a major set-back to the ruling party.
According to Piers Pigou, a senior analyst with International Crisis Group, CCM’s claim to power may be short-lived. “This election is still game-changing for Tanzania in general, because politics will never be the same again. CCM is a dominant party whose support is gradually slipping. It’s a bit like a truck going downhill with failing brakes, there’s an inevitability to the conclusion of this process, whether they lose power in the next election or the one after.”
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