Women and the young will decide TZ's future today

Dar es Salaam. Finally, Election Day is here. From being the most unpredictable to significantly extraordinary—this of 2015 seems to be many things—including being an election of ‘’Firsts.’’ It’s the first—and in fact a historic election—for its oddity and campaign style.

Many youth are expected to be voting for the first time today. The National Electoral Commission poll-register shows that youthful voters aged between 18 to 35 years constitute 57 percent of all those who registered to cast their ballot.

For the first time in more than two decades, a new era of multiparty politics seems to have set in. Since 1992, Tanzanians had never seen an election where opposition parties formed a strong coalition with intent to unseat the ruling party, but, here we have it today.

It is a too-close-to-call election, whereby the alliance of four parties under the umbrella of the Coalition of Defenders of the People’s Constitution, Ukawa, seems to be making the poll outcome look highly unpredictable.

The move, similar to what transpired in Kenya in 2002 during the famous Rainbow Coalition, which brought the ‘Kibaki Tosha’’ project, sets a stage for an election whose poll outcomes is the most eagerly anticipated in the country’s history. It is also an electoral contest that is being closely watched across the region.

The attention paid to today’s election is underpinned not only by the stiffest challenge to the ruling party, but also the political and diplomatic relations that Tanzania has with the rest of the region and the world.

This is contrary to events in the previous elections—where one opposition party emerged as a somewhat strong rival of the ruling party—with the latter being the most likely winner after the polls.

This time round, we have the dominant opposition party Chadema joining forces with the National League for Democracy (NLD), the Civic United Front (CUF) and NCCR-Mageuzi. They have fielded one candidate, Mr Edward Lowassa, who is today locking-horns with the ruling party CCM candidate Dr John Magufuli.

A veteran media practitioner Mr Kajubi Mukajanga, says such a turn of events means that Tanzania’s politics ‘’has come of age’’—that the political landscape is slowly taking a new shape now and things have completely changed.

‘’It is no longer business as usual, ’just as it was widely believed that the ruling party, CCM, would sit back and enjoy its stay in power ‘’without putting up a spirited fight,’’ says the head of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT).

Looking at what has been happening over the campaign period, things have indeed changed. Let’s assume that one Tanzanian left this country to a foreign land before July this year—the month in which Dr John Magufuli was nominated by CCM as a flag bearer.

And, that this person traveled to a country where he or she had no access to news and information about the political developments back home.

On returning home in Tanzania today, this person would be struck by the current state of affairs in politics. He or she would probably face a difficult moment to reconcile his or her perceptions of the political events, such as, seeing a CCM candidate accusing the opposition party Chadema, of ‘’embracing’’ corruption

For the first time in the history of election politics, the ruling party has used the anti-corruption agenda in trying to win the hearts of the voters, by promising to establish new courts for trying corrupt officials.

Although corruption cuts across all parties, the opposition parties had for decades capitalized on anti-corruption—pointing fingers at the ruling government for being corrupt. Chadema for instance, was using it as a ticket to unseat one of Africa’s oldest ruling parties, CCM.

It would still not be easy for this person, who had been away from the country for months, to understand a scenario where Mr Edward Lowassa, the man who had been a ruling party stalwart for decades, championing the popular slogan in the opposition, ‘’Movement for Change.’’

Leave that of Mr Lowassa aside! Because it was clear right from last year that the man was so determined in his race to statehouse.

So, the news that he lost in CCM primary nominations and defected to seek for presidency in the opposition would have been quite easily understood.

It has been an election of defections. The crossing over of Mr Lowassa to Chadema from CCM was preceded by stories of ward councilors and some MPs ditching their former parties to vie for various positions in new parties.

Former Premier, Mr Fredrick Sumaye, followed suit. He has been trying to excite passion in the opposition throughout the campaign period, coupled with the presence of former CCM veteran politician Mr Kingunge Ngomabale-Mwiru in the opposition—all trying to prove to their supporters that ‘’CCM has lost direction’’. This would even seem to be more interesting.

The list of ‘’firsts’’ doesn’t seem to end here though. The fact that—by all standards—this is the most competitive election ever, has even led to a section of political institutions proposing new selection criteria for the presidential candidates.

And, for the first time in the history of election politics in Tanzania, some politicians wanted candidates seeking presidential seats to undergo screening for their health statuses.

Way back in January this year, the Tanzania Constitution Forum (TCF) had asked the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to conduct health checkups for all candidates who would be vying for the highest office in the land in this year’s election.

The TCF Chairman, Mr Deus Kibamba, asked NEC to make it mandatory for whoever wanted to contest for the presidential post to undergo the tests, citing what had just happened in other countries such as Malawi and Zambia at that time, where their presidents died in office.

However, in an interview recently, the TCF Deputy Chairman Mr Hezron Mwakagenda told The Citizen on Sunday that after making the plea, independent medical experts quashed the idea.

They argued that the medical records of any person—even presidential candidates—were a confidential issue and therefore not worth of public discussion, said Mr Mwakagenda.

However, the point remains, that this of 2015, indeed is an election of ‘’Firsts.’’ Leading presidential candidates—Dr John Magufuli and Mr Edward Lowassa have been seen playing a health card as a voter appealing strategy on many occasions. This happens for the first time in such a highly contested election in Tanzania.

Social media outlets harbor photos of Mr Edward Lowassa putting on a track-suit and briefly jogging before cameras. It is said, he was trying to prove his fitness as he geared up for presidential elections.

The CCM candidate, Dr Magufuli has even performed push-ups before his supporters at a campaign rally in Karagwe District in Kagera as a way of proving to his supporters that he was energetic enough, healthy and fit.

This year’s election campaigns have also been characterized by unfortunate stories. Campaign programmes were suspended by the National Electoral Commission in five constituencies following the death of the candidates who were seeking for parliamentary seats.

In just few weeks leading up to the polling day, two candidates passed away. The passing, in a helicopter crash of Ludewa MP for CCM, Mr Deo Filikunjombe shocked the nation and his death came just a day after the demise of the National League for Democracy Chairman, Dr Emmanule Makaidi.

Other parliamentary candidates who have died since the election campaigns kicked off in August include Chadema’s candidate for Lushoto constituency, Mohammed Mtoi who died in a car crash. ACT-Wazalendo’s candidate for Arusha Urban, Estomih Mallah also died after a short illness in September.

Others include the minister of state in the President’s Office (Public Services Management), Celina Kombani and the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Abdallah Kigoda who died in the Indian Hospital on September 25 and October 12 respectively.

The unprecedented number of deaths means that the country will have to incur costs for organizing polls in their constituencies after the general election. However, this also signifies how expensive democracy is.

There are fears that this election may not be as peaceful. The opposition parties have come up against a political party machine in CCM that has long been regarded as one of the most disciplined and effective on the continent — one that has not lost a presidential election since 1961. Some ask, would CCM concede defeat if it lost the election.

Now, considering Tanzania’s historical status as one of the continent’s most stable democracies and its prominent role in regional peace efforts, the biggest question now is based on how the country’s institutions—especially CCM, will cope with what is expected to be the tightly contested election.

But the government has until the end of this week called for calm ahead of the polls and in the days after, noting that there were palpable signs of breach of peace.

Outgoing President Mr Jakaya Kikwete has appealed to the national security organs to act promptly and professionally to avoid chaos.