Wave Of Opposition Arrests Hits Region

As global attention focuses in on the US and the nail bitingly close presidential poll this week some worrying and significant election related developments have been happening a lot closer to home. 

Following Tanzania’s disputed elections held last week there was a wave of opposition arrests in the country. Meanwhile, in Uganda popular opposition MP and musician Bobi Wine was arrested after he filed his candidacy for the upcoming presidential polls in the country. 

Tanzania’s elections took place on October 28 and once again the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party was returned to office. CCM is the only party to have governed since independence. Despite its waning popularity in recent years the official results put President John Magufuli on 84% of the vote, an outcome strongly rejected by the opposition. The country’s major opposition parties, Chadema and ACT Wazalendo, have called for peaceful demonstrations to protest the official results. According to the opposition the polls were rigged and there were numerous problems with the campaigning period including allegations of harassment and intimidation. They further claim that they were impeded by the electoral commission rejecting a high percentage of their proposed candidates for office. 

Following calls for peaceful protest several opposition figures were arrested, including Chadema’s presidential candidate Tundu Lissu and 20 senior party officials. Lissu returned to the country last year following an assassination attempt in 2017 in which he was shot multiple times. ACT Wazalendo leader Zitto Kabwe was also later arrested. 

It was not only the opposition that queried the election result, with the US among those to highlight concerns. A statement from the country read, “We remain deeply concerned by credible reports of significant and widespread voting irregularities, internet interruption, arrests, and violence by security forces both in mainland Tanzania and on Zanzibar.” 

In Uganda Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, aka Bobi Wine, was allegedly dragged from his car, temporarily blinded with pepper spray and arrested following his filing for next year’s presidential elections. 

Reports suggest heavily armed police officers and army officials blocked Wine’s vehicle and smashed the windows with a crowbar before apprehending the singer. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986.

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine arrested after filing his presidential nomination papers