OPPOSITION WON 4 SEATS

Opposition wins four parliamentry seats
Monday, 15 November 2010 23:17
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By The Citizen Reporters

Results of the late parliamentary elections held on Sunday have cheered up some opposition parties with victory in four of the seven contested constituencies.

The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) scooped three seats to beef up its already indomitable position in the Parliament.

For various administrative reasons, which included shortage of ballot papers and misspelt names of candidates, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) had put off the polls in Mpanda Urban, Mpanda Rural and Nkenge constituencies on the Mainland; and Mtoni, Magogoni, Wete and Mwanakwerekwe constituencies in the Isles.

But the presidential vote was taken in those constituencies as it was done throughout the country on the 31 October 2010 general election day.

According to election results announced by the ZEC, the Civic United Front (CUF) candidates have won in Mtoni, Magogoni and Wete constituencies, while CCM’s candidate won the seat for Mwanakwerekwe.

Faki haji Makame of CUF took the seat for Mtoni with 4,097 votes beating Ussi Ame Pandu of CCM who got 2,738 votes. Other parties fielded candidates as well but the score was as follows: Chadema got 417 votes, TLP (8), UDP (5), UMD (9), UPDP (7), Tadea (9) and NCCR-Mageuzi 18 votes.

Another CUF candidate, Hamad Ali Hamad, took the Magogoni seat with 4,033 votes against Issa Abeid of CCM who came close behind with 3,264 votes. NCCR-Mageuzi got 45 votes, Tadea (17), NRA (16), UMD (11) and SAU six votes.

Results from Wete showed that CUF candidate, Mbarouk Salim Ali emerged winner after scooping 4,908 votes, beating Ali Rashid Ali of CCM who managed 561 votes. Chadema obtained 364 votes and Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) had 44 votes.

At Mwanakwerekwe, CCM’s Haji Juma Sewereji scooped 2,975 votes to emerge the winner while Ussi Juma Hassan of CUF came second with 1,971 votes. In the same constituency Demokrasia Makini got 28 votes, NCCR-Mageuzi (7), Tadea (10), UPDP (9) and TLP five votes.

The election was held under tight security as the police presence at all polling stations assured voters that the exercise was conducted in free and fair manner.

In Mpanda Urban, NEC declared Said Amor Arfi of Chadema winner of the parliamentary seat for the constituency.

Mr Arfi scooped 8,075 votes to win the seat for the second consecutive term, outshining his closest opponent Mr Sebastian Kapufi of CCM by 49 votes.

Announcing the election results, the returning officer for Mpanda Urban constituency, Mr Henry Haule said Mr Kapufi got 8,020 votes followed by Mr Aram Ndimubenya of CUF who got 39 votes.

The constituency had 42,215 registered voters but only 16,276 had turned up to cast their ballots. Mr Haule said that 135 votes were spoilt.

In Mpanda Rural constituency, Moshi Kakoso of CCM won the seat with 5,693 votes while Chadena’s Masanja Mussa came second with 3,260 votes.

The returning officer for the constituency, Mr Emmanuel Kalobelo announced that the third position was taken by CUF’s Shaban Kisabo who got 74 votes and a candidate of NCCR-Mageuzi got 22 votes.

Mpanda Rural had 35,928 registered voters but only 9,138 cast their ballots and 89 votes were spoilt.

Following the announcement of the results, Chadema and CCM supporters started a lively and peaceful celebration on the streets cheering their winning candidates.

Meanwhile, Ms Assumpta Mshama, CCM parliamentary candidate for Nkenge constituency in Missenyi district of Kagera region was declared the winner in the small hours of Monday.

Before the announcement of her victory, Ms Mshama was heard telling the election officers to give the delayed votes from Kakunyu ward to her opponents because that could not alter the outcome.

Ballot boxes from Kakunyu ward were delivered at the tallying centre at 01:00 hrs something that, for a short period of time, caused a stir among supporters of the election candidates.

Ms Mshama won by 23,772 votes followed Mr Sadick Mkurumbi of CUF with 606 votes and Mr William Kweyamba of TLP who garnered 597.

There were 90,631 registered voters in the constituency, but only 25,091 cast ballots on Sunday at 254 polling stations.

Mr Kweyamba was instantly conceded defeat complaining that since he had no agent at any polling station, he would have no reason to challenge the results.