Tanzania: Foreign Missions Call for “Free and Fair” Elections

Tanzania has one month left to go before its national elections, and members of the international community have added to the chorus calling for the polls to be “free and fair”.

Ten foreign missions released a joint statement on Wednesday, 2 September, in which they declared a sincere hope for “a secure environment, respect for the rule of law, and full impartiality of the institutions and authorities in charge of managing the elections.”

The Heads of Missions include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Human Rights Watch commented on the same day, saying that government critics and opposition party members had been arrested and unlawfully detained ahead of the polls.

The increased repressive tactics of the ruling CCM party has cast widespread doubt among many who say that the elections will not be transparent nor representative.

The eligible voters of the east African nation are expected to cast their votes on 28 October.