Tanzania: opposition presidential candidate arrested

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Arrested, but now at large again: The Tanzanian presidential candidate Tundu Lissu

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STRINGER / AFP

Several opposition politicians have been arrested after the controversial presidential election in Tanzania.

Including the opposition presidential candidate, Tundu Lissu.

The Chadema party announced.

In the meantime, Lissu was free again, it was said.

The chairman of Chadema, Freeman Mbowe, and other members of the party were also taken into custody, but already on Monday night.

This was confirmed by the chief of police in the economic metropolis of Dar es Salaam, Lazaro Mambosasa.

The opposition activists were arrested on Sunday for planning illegal demonstrations, he said.

The police have not given permission for demonstrations.

In Tanzania, people can be detained for up to 24 hours without charge.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the US government would investigate rumors of the use of force against Tanzanian civilians in connection with the election.

Magufuli wins election clearly

In the presidential election on Wednesday, the increasingly authoritarian incumbent John Magufuli won.

According to official results, he won around 84 percent of the vote.

The opposition called the election illegitimate and called for peaceful protests from Monday.

Few international observers were allowed to vote.

The US Embassy questioned the credibility of the election, saying there were "concerns about the government of Tanzania's commitment to democratic values".

On the eve of the election, people in Tanzania reported nationwide problems accessing social media platforms such as Twitter and WhatsApp.

Critics called this an attempt by the government to curb people's ability to communicate.

Twitter confirmed that it had seen some "throttling" on its platform, while NetBlocks, monitoring the Internet blockade, observed widespread glitches.

Magufuli, also known as the "Bulldozer", who has been in office since 2015, is polarizing in the East African country.

Supporters advocate his strong and uncompromising leadership style, large infrastructure projects, and anti-corruption promises.

Critics and human rights activists, however, condemn his increasing restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of expression and his handling of the corona pandemic.

The country with around 58 million inhabitants has not officially announced any corona cases since May

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hba / Reuters / dpa