- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
Wednesday, 28 October 2020_Tanzanians are heading to the polls in parliamentary and presidential elections, in which President John Magufuli seeks another five-year term, and the opposition candidate has already alleged widespread irregularities.
Polls opened in Dar es Salaam and elsewhere in the country on Wednesday morning for more than 29 million people who have registered to vote.
Voting will be allowed until 4 p.m. local time.
“The voting process is good, calm,” said a local pastor, Clement Fumbo. “I expect the elections to continue to be peaceful, fair and free.”
Incumbent Magufuli voted in the capital, Dodoma, earlier in the day, calling on people to turn out to vote.
"We also need to maintain our peace and I always say there is life after elections," he said.
The opposition presidential candidate, Tundu Lissu, claimed on Wednesday that “widespread irregularities" were happening in the elections.
"Voting reports indicate widespread irregularities in the form of preventing our polling agents from accessing polling stations," Lissu said on Twitter, alleging that ballot boxes had been stuffed in some locations.
"If this continues, mass democratic action will be the only option to protect the integrity of the elections," he added.
Observers also expressed serious concern about the fairness of the elections.
Many said that major social media networks such as WhatsApp and Twitter had been blocked across the country.
Your Comment