Chadema: New seats were rigged
Kimara Stop Over residents in Kibamba Constituency, Dar es Salaam Region, line up at the Stop Over polling station during the General Election on October 25. PHOTO|EMMANUEL HERMAN
What you need to know:
The main opposition Chadema believes most of the new 26 constituencies, which were announced by NEC a few months before last month’s election, are located in CCM strongholds.
Dar es Salaam. The opposition camp said yesterday that the National Electoral Commission (NEC) strategically demarcated constituencies before the October 25 General Elecion to favour the ruling CCM.
The main opposition Chadema believes most of the new 26 constituencies, which were announced by NEC a few months before last month’s election, are located in CCM strongholds.
The party’s Information officer, Mr Boniface Makene, said that requests for demarcation of some of constituents located in urban areas were turned down despite a huge population growth.
“Although it is true that the demarcation of the constituencies was in favour of CCM we gave them a run for their money; even in constituencies where we lost it was by a small margin,” said Mr Makene.
Announcing the demarcation in July, NEC chairman Judge (rtd) Damian Lubuva said that out of 26 new voting constituencies six of them had been established due to an increase in the population and 20 of them were as a result of the increasing number of councils.
The ruling party emerged the winner in many newly-formed constituencies as it captured many parliamentary seats and garnered many presidential votes compared to the opposition.
According to the results announced last week, CCM won eighteen parliamentary seats compared to Chadema which won seven out in the 26 new constituencies. Handeni Urban which is among the new constituencies did not hold elections due to the death of the CCM candidate for the seat, Dr Abdallah Kigoda.
Almost all the seven constituencies, which were won by the opposition, are located in urban areas. They include Kibamba and Mbagala (Dar es Salaam), Tunduma, Tarime Urban, Bunda Urban, Mlimba and Ndanda while CCM maintained its supremacy in rural areas.
CCM won in Nanyamba, Makambako, Butiama, Mafinga urban, Kahama urban, Ushetu, Nzega urban, Kondoa urban, Newala urban, Mbulu urban, Madaba, Mbinga urban, Vwawa, Manonga, Ulyankulu, Nsimbo and Geita town.
In the presidential election President elect Dr John Magufuli defeated his Chadema counterpart Mr Edward Lowassa in all but three new constituencies.
Mr Lowassa garnered more votes than Dr Magufuli in Mbagala (94,775) against Dr Magufuli (88,023), Kibamba (75,282) against Dr Magufuli (58,151) and Tunduma (32,219) Dr Magufuli (19,446).
In total Dr Magufuli garnered 839, 363 votes against Mr Lowassa who scooped 564, 599 votes from the 26 constituencies.
