Tanzanians began voting on Wednesday morning to elect their president and members of parliament. The outgoing head of state John Magufuli, nicknamed the "bulldozer", faces main opponent Tundu Lissu, who has been able to reinvigorate the opposition, largely stifled during the last five-years.
On the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, the situation had become clearly tense on Tuesday, with an opposition candidate - briefly arrested - and an accusation from his party that security forces had killed 10 people.
On Wednesday morning, in the Garagara neighborhood on the outskirts of Stone Town in Zanzibar, where police fired tear gas and live ammunition on Tuesday, 48-year-old Mnao said she came to the polling station early so as to get home quickly.
"During the skirmishes with the police, a tear gas grenade landed in my house. I screamed, I cried, I was distraught. My heart was beating very fast and I was praying," she said.
More than 29 million voters are called to the polls in mainland Tanzania and 556,000 on the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, which together constitute the United Republic of Tanzania (about 58 million inhabitants).
In Zanzibar, voters not only vote in national elections (presidential, legislative), but also to appoint the president and parliamentarians of the archipelago.
"I thank God for giving me this opportunity to choose my leaders. We ask that the Electoral Commission is impartial so that peace reigns," Nestor Shoo told AFP Nestor Shoo, who arrived at 6:00 am in front of the polling station of Mwenge elementary school in Moshi, a city located near Arusha, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
There have been reports of the restriction of internet access across the country with some users experiencing difficulties in sharing and downloading images on whatsapp and tweeting.
- Who are the candidates? -
Among the 15 candidates running for the presidential election, there is a duel between Mr. Magufuli, 60 years old, candidate for re-election under the green and yellow colors of the party CCM ("The Party of the Revolution"), in power since 1961, and Tundu Lissu, 52 years old, on behalf of Chadema (Party for Democracy and Progress).
During his first term in office, Magufuli, according to his critics, was authoritarian and adopted an abrupt style of governance, true to the nickname he earned as Minister of Public Works (2010-2015): the "bulldozer" or "Tingatinga" in Kiswahili.
Shortly after his election, his tolerance for any form of criticism seemed to collapse.
Political rallies outside the election period were banned, draconian laws against the media were passed, journalists, activists and opposition members were arrested.
- Sixteen bullets in the skin -
Mr. Magufuli highlighted his fight against corruption, the extension of access to free education and a policy of major infrastructure projects in the hydroelectric and railway fields. He also resurrected the national airline.
Facing Mr. Magufuli stands Tundu Lissu, a lawyer by trainin
