SANF 05 No 115
Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and its presidential candidate, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, have swept to victory in national elections held on 14 December in the United Republic of Tanzania.
Three key constituencies in the north of the country won handily by CCM included the former constituencies of presidential hopefuls Augustine Mrema and Freeman Mbowe in Kilimanjaro region, as well as taking the Bukoba constituency from the serving member of parliament, a senior official of the Civic United Front (CUF).
Opposition parties had listed these three seats among the 36 in which they expected a close contest and a victory. Four opposition parties held just 26 of the 232 constituency seats in the previous Union parliament, the Bunge.
CCM has swept all of the seats for parliament and local councillors in Dar es Salaam, and has taken the Temeke constituency from CUF. With most results in, CUF has won no seats at all on the mainland, and other opposition parties have won only four.
The results from the islands of Zanzibar in these Union elections show exactly the same pattern as the Zanzibar elections held on 30 October. That is, the opposition CUF swept all 18 seats on the northern island of Pemba while CCM took all but one seat on the main island of Unguja.
This indicates roughly the same breakdown for the 232 constituency seats in the new Bunge, with the opposition having so far won 22 seats. However, if there are no CUF seats on the mainland, the leader of the opposition in parliament would come from Pemba.
The results show a very united mainland part of the Union, and a very divided Zanzibar. After the polls closed Wednesday, the Zanzibar president, Amani Abeid Karume, had predicted a sweeping victory for CCM in the Union elections.
CCM also predicted confidently that Kikwete, their presidential candidate, would win by an even higher percentage than his predecessor, the outgoing president, Benjamin William Mkapa, who is the CCM chairperson.
Mkapa won the presidency in 1995 with 62 percent of the popular vote, and increased this to almost 72 percent the second time he faced the electorate in 2000.
He has been a popular president, notably for being forthright and presiding over a tough economic reform programme, and he has campaigned actively throughout the country for his successor.
Kikwete went to vote in his home constituency of Chalinze in Coast region, and has been very visible in the media, assuring the voters that he is fit and healthy despite collapsing on stage during his last major rally at Jangwani grounds in Dar es Salaam, as he wrapped up a 45-minute speech.
Doctors confirmed that his condition was due to fatigue and dehydration, as he had been fasting daily during the final week of the campaign. The final rally was an all-day long affair where he addressed thousands of his supporters in the scorching afternoon sun at the end of the day.
Returns from most parts of the country, but as yet incomplete, show Kikwete leading with more than 75 percent of the vote, a trend that has continued to grow as more results become available.
While local council results were announced at ward level and the constituency results by constituency election supervisors, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) is announcing the presidential results.
These results must be sent to the results centre in Dar es Salaam for checking and verification before the final, official results of the presidential election are announced. NEC has said this process could take a few days.
