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Bloomberg
Tanzanian President John Magufuli was declared the resounding winner of an election that the opposition said was rigged and the US government indicated was seriously flawed.
Magufuli, 61, the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s candidate, secured 84.4% of valid ballots cast in the October 28 vote, according to the
results released by the National Electoral Commission. His main rival, Tundu Lissu, 52, of
the Chadema party won 13%. Slightly more than 15 million people voted.
The margin of Magufuli’s victory was the widest of any presidential candidate in almost three decades of Tanzania holding multi-party elections. Investors will now be watching closely to see if the opposition’s call for mass protests has the potential to derail one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and Africa’s fourth-biggest gold producer.
Magufuli focussed his campaign on his development record, including new roads, rail links, ports, power plants and 1,700 new health centres. A resounding victory for the president and his party will give him more leeway to pursue his infrastructure investment drive.