Tanzania’s opposition party, Chadema, has nominated national vice-chair Tundu Lissu who was shot sometime back as its presidential candidate for the October 28 General Election, pending approval by the national delegates conference scheduled for Tuesday.
The party’s deputy Secretary General Salum Mwalimu (Zanzibar) has also been proposed as Lissu’s running mate, while Said Issa Mohammed has been selected as Chedema Presidential Candidate for Zanzibar.
Lissu garnered 405 votes beating central zone chairman Lazaro Nyalandu and Dr. Mayrose Majinge who secured 36 votes and one vote respectively.
Should the delegates conference endorse Lissu on Tuesday then will challenge President Magufuli for the country’s top seat in the elections.
Seven candidates including Lissu, Nyalandu, Dr. Majinge, Isaya Mwita, Leonard Manyama, Gasper Mwanalyela, and Neo Simba collected and returned nomination forms after intra-party nominations.
After wide consultations, the party’s Central Committee (CC) shortlisted Mr. Lissu, Nyalandu, and Dr. Majinge before the general council for voting during which the former Singida East lawmaker emerged the winner.
The presidential hopeful returned to the County on July 27, 2020, from Belgium where he had been receiving treatment after surviving an assassination attempt back in 2017 in Dodoma.
“Today, I would like to explain what this year’s general elections mean to the opposition because the National Electoral Commission (NEC) was the one responsible for organizing the polls,” Lissu said while addressing the general council members.
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According to him, since 1992 when multiparty was reinstated in Tanzania, NEC has been supporting the ruling CCM through its structure that consists of returning officers most of who are party candidates.
“Therefore, the opposition should expect and get ready for its candidates in the parliamentary and councillorship positions to be dropped against laws, procedures, and regulations,” he said.
He said the opposition should expect and get ready for incidents of returning officers running away from their offices to avoid giving and receiving a nomination from its candidates
