Authorities in Tanzania have launched a wide-ranging crackdown on opposition parties, days after the country’s controversial leader, John Magufuli, was declared the winner of last week’s contested election. Police detained Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of the Chadema party, on Monday, along with other senior party officials before planned protests against what the opposition claim was widespread electoral fraud. Officials said the opposition were planning violence and are holding Mbowe on terrorism charges, which preclude any possibility of bail. About 300 workers and activists from Chadema and the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo) have also been detained or “abducted” in recent days, opposition officials said. At the weekend, he thanked voters for their support and said “[the] election is over and it is time for work”.

Source: The Guardian November 02, 2020 10:12 UTC