As Tanzanians prepare for a hotly contested election that will see incumbent President John Magufuli go up against 14 other presidential hopefuls, the East African state faces a tough democratic journey to the polls fraught with alleged internet shutdowns and killings of opposition.
More than 29 million people have registered to cast their ballots as polling stations are set to open on October 28, 2020, at 7 am and close at 4 pm. Magufuli, who is seeking re-election, is the candidate of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed Tanzania since its independence in 1961. While the government has rejected several accusations made against it by the people and opposition, more accusations keep coming up in the run-up to the polls that point towards repression.
Internet Throttling
Mere hours before voters hit the polls, the Tanzanian government has been accused of limiting access to internet services, including popular social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. Several Tanzanians and residents of the semi-autonomous city of Zanzibar posted tweets complaining about restrictions that have forced them to rely on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access social media. This allegation has been supported by a report posted by cybersecurity monitor, NetBlock, as well as, Twitter.
While the Tanzanian government does not have the authority to fully shut down the internet, the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations, 2020, gives the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) power to order service providers to block or filter content. Earlier in the month, the same TCRA instructed telecommunication companies to suspend bulk SMS and voice calls for a two week period that coincides with the general elections.
Opposition Calls Out Violence
Meanwhile, an opposition party, the ACT Walzendo, has accused the police of shooting dead at least nine citizens amidst unrest over alleged fraud on the eve of the country’s presidential elections. The party also accused the police of unlawfully arresting its Zanzibar presidential candidate, Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad, after he went out to vote early.
Since his entry into office, President John Magufuli has been accused of stifling press freedom and attacking opposition party supporters among other things.
