Tanzania's ruling party candidate leading in polls: initial results

Initial election results announced on Monday by Tanzania's electoral body showed that the ruling party - Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM)- presidential candidate Dr John Magufuli was leading in nine constituencies out of the country's 264 constituencies.

Judge Damian Lubuva, the chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam that four out of the 13 constituencies already counted were won by opposition CHADEMA presidential candidate Edward Lowassa.

He said other presidential election results were to be announced as they were filed to NEC from across the country.

January Makamba, the spokesman for the ruling CCM, said preliminary election results showed that the party has already garnered victory in 176 constituencies out of the total number of 264 constituencies countrywide.

"Our tally indicates that we have retained 11 constituencies that were initially in the hands of the opposition," Makamba told a news conference in Dar es Salaam.

He added: "We request CCM members to remain calm, to be free from fear as well as observing tolerance until NEC finishes its work. The presidential results that are currently announced by NEC are not quite different from the figures we are witnessing on parliamentary seats and this is a pure sign that we will clinch victory."

At the same time, opposition CHADEMA said it has written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ernest Mangu seeking his intervention over Sunday night's raid by state security agents into their three election tallying centers and arrest of their 191 communication volunteers.

Tens of hundreds of Tanzanians on Sunday went to polls to elect their president, Members of Parliament and councilors in the east African nation's most competitive elections since independence in 1961.

The ruling party CCM, which has been in power for more than 50 years, was facing stiff competition from a coalition of four opposition parties led by Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA).

CCM presidential candidate Dr Magufuli, the Minister for Works under the administration of President Jakaya Kikwete, who is ending his two five-year terms, competed with the presidential hopeful for CHADEMA, former Prime Minister Lowassa.

CHADEMA is campaigning on a coalition of three other opposition parties of Civic United Front (CUF), National League for Democracy and NCCR-Mageuzi.

Lowassa defected from the ruling CCM in July after the party dismissed him from running for the presidency and opted to nominate Magufuli.

Over 22 million voters turned up in high numbers at polling stations across the country, the second largest economy after Kenya in the east African region. Endit