AGAIN, TANZANIA BARS OPPOSITION CANDIDATE MPINA, DESPITE COURT RULING
Electoral commission disqualifies ACT-Wazalendo’s Luhaga Mpina for the second time ahead of October election, leaving President Samia Suluhu Hassan facing only minor challengers.
Tanzania’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday reversed its own earlier decision and disqualified Luhaga Mpina, opposition presidential candidate and leader of ACT-Wazalendo, for the second time.
Mpina had been reinstated by the High Court on September 11, which found that his initial disqualification was unconstitutional, citing violations of his right to be heard and procedural due process. The electoral commission accepted his nomination papers on September 13 accordingly.
However, the Attorney General lodged a fresh objection, claiming that Mpina did not satisfy internal party rules required for valid sponsorship under the Elections Act. INEC upheld this new objection, thereby removing him from the ballot.
With Mpina out, President Samia Suluhu Hassan is left with no major opposition contenders in the upcoming October 29 election, as only candidates from smaller parties remain.
Meanwhile, the main opposition party CHADEMA was disqualified earlier in the year after failing to sign the electoral code of conduct, and its leader, Tundu Lissu, remains in detention on treason charges.
ACT-Wazalendo has denounced the latest disqualification as a politically motivated move to eliminate viable competition, and is exploring further legal recourse.
Observers warn that repeated exclusions of major opposition candidates risk undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
By: Itoro Etukudo
Source: Reuters
