Having to fight for itWHEN John Magufuli, the presidential candidate of Tanzania’s ruling party, visits Mwanza, a mining city in the country’s north-west, tens of thousands of fans pack into a park in the centre of the city. The crowd is a sea of green and yellow flags—the colours of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Mr Magufuli’s party. As they wait, supporters scream for breakdancing rappers, laugh at raucous comedians and take photos on their mobile phones. Entrepreneurs work the crowd selling ice creams, samosas, bottles of water and glasses of beer. Periodically a small drone flies overhead, beaming back photos onto an enormous screen behind the stage. So goes politics in a country where over 60% of registered voters are below the age of 35.
Yet this election, scheduled for October 25th, is exciting for reasons other than its sheer vibrancy. Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania’s president, is standing down, and for the first time since its creation in 1977, the CCM faces a serious challenge.
Chadema, the main opposition party, has formed an alliance with three other parties so as to avoid splitting the...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1LHZpZc
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