John Magufuli declared winner of Tanzanian presidential election

John Pombe Magufuli, the candidate of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party. Dr Magufuli won the election with 58.46 per cent of the vote, the National Electoral Commission announced on Thursday afternoon. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

By NATION CORRESPONDENT
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John Pombe Magufuli, the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party candidate, has won the Tanzanian presidential election.

Dr Magufuli won the election with 58.46 per cent of the vote, the National Electoral Commission announced on Thursday afternoon.

The opposition Chadema party, whose candidate Edward Lowassa came second with 39 per cent, declined to sign the consent forms.

The refusal followed earlier claims of fraud and demands for a recount of the tightly contested election.

Dr Magufuli, 56, a minister in the outgoing government led by retiring President Jakaya Kikwete, received 8.8 million votes to Mr Lowassa’s 6 million.

His win continues CCM’s grip on power in Tanzania after governing the country since independence in 1961.

Chama cha Mapinduzi (English: Party of the Revolution) is the dominant ruling party in Tanzania and one of the longest reigning ruling party in Africa.

It was formed in 1977 following the merger of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) and the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP), which were the sole operating parties in mainland Tanzania and the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar respectively.

Election observers have called for a speedy resolution of the stalemate in Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous islands that make up the union with Tanzania, where elections were annulled on Wednesday over allegations of fraud.