PRESIDENT MWINYI – 92% SUPPORT
PRESIDENT ABDUL WAKIL – 41% OPPOSED
The results of the Presidential elections in Tanzania gave President Ali Hassan Mwinyi a massive win but the results of the elections held earlier in Zanzibar gave President (of Zanzibar) Idris Abdul Wakil only 58.6% of the vote.
The Daily News reporting on the day after the results were declared (1 November, 1985) stated that the results were not unexpected but they overwhelmed Ndugu Mwinyi, and he said so, as well as Mwalimu Nyerere, who shed tears of joy.
Mwalimu declined comment on Ndugu Mwinyi’s victory when he was invited to speak by the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Chief Adam Sapi Mkwawa. “I cannot say anything,” he pleaded.
He was probably overjoyed by the positive response to his repeated call on voters during the election campaign to give his successor a massive confidence-building “YES” vote.
Ndugu Mwinyi’s score is just a point short of Mwalimu Nyerere’s 93.01 per cent win in the 1980 election. The retiring President won 91.46 per cent of the 4.5 million votes cast in 1975.
Announcing the results at a colourful ceremony held at Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam, Chief Mkwawa said 5,181,999 or 74.98 per cent of the 6,901,555 registered voters cast their votes on Sunday.
He said 4,778,114 people voted “YES” while 215,626 or 4.16 per cent voted “NO”. Chief Mkwawa said 188,259 votes accounting for 3.64 per cent of the total were spoilt.
The Commission Chairman said it was clear from the results that more than half of the voters had accepted the sole Presidential candidate, a minimum score set by the 1984 Union Constitution.
“I, therefore, hereby declare that Ndugu Ali Hassan Mwinyi has been elected President of the United Republic of Tanzania under Section 41(3)(c) of the 1977 Union Constitution as amended by Act Number 15 of 1984,” the Commission Chairman said.
The announcement was greeted by prolonged applause from Party, Government leaders and foreign diplomats gathered in the hall to hear the results.
President Nyerere, vividly the happiest man in the hall, gave Ndugu Mwinyi a hug. Then came the turn of other dignitaries to shake hands with the President-elect. These included Mama Maria Nyerere and Mama Sofia Kawawa.
Emotions were charged by a ceremonial number Yuko Wapi Ndugu Mwinyi Tuhangaike Naye – literally translated to mean “where is Ndugu Mwinyi, we want to have a field day with him” – which was played by the National Service Taarab Group.
Amid the fanfare, Young Pioneers gave Ndugu Mwinyi a scarf and garlanded Mama Mwinyi.
In his brief but meaningful acceptance speech following the formal announcement of results, Ndugu Mwinyi said: “I publicly accept to carry the burden of state, to serve and not to rule as a servant of all Tanzanians”.
Ndugu Mwinyi promised, that he would endeavour to serve the people of Tanzania diligently and honestly without favour, regardless of their religion, colour, station in life or place of origin. Referring to his election, he said: “I must confess that I am immensely overwhelmed by the outcome. Even where I was sure of being elected, but I honestly did not expect such a massive mandate”.
“I am most grateful. I also want to thank all the people, especially those who were lucky enough to register and actually vote on October 27. I particularly thank those who voted “Yes” for demonstrating full confidence in me. “These people have gambled correctly and I sincerely thank them for this. I will strive to live up to their expectations”.
Ndugu Mwinyi went on to thank those voters who voted “NO”, for their political awareness and use of their conscience to vote in Tanzania’s democratic elections. “I do promise that I will serve all of them, even if I knew them, equally with any other Tanzanian citizen”.
He concluded: “I have already said I am overwhelmed, indeed I am, I have nothing to add”.
In Zanzibar, the Chairman of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission announced that 131,471 (58.6%) voted Yes to Ndugu Wakil (formerly the speaker of Zanzibar’s legislature) and 75,220 (41.3%) voted No. In its November issue “Africa Events” endeavours to explain what happened in Zanzibar on the basis of the existence of two power blocks vying with each other for ascendancy in Zanzibar’s politics. One group are said to regard themselves as the legitimate heirs of the late Sheikh Abeid Karume and his Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) and the other more closely in sympathy with the liberalisation measures introduced by President Mwinyi when he became President of Zanzibar last year. Ndugu Wakil was said to have had the support of the former group.
Apparently there were other factors including traditional feelings between Zanzibar and Pemba; the people of Pemba voted Yes for Wakil in much smaller numbers than those in Zanzibar.
According to “New Africa” Ndugu Wakil had been initially selected as candidate for President by the National Executive Committee (including islanders) by only 85 votes to 78 for Zanzibar Chief Minister Seif Shariff Hamed who hails from Pemba. Ndugu Wakil subsequently re-appointed Ndugu Hamad as Zanzibar Chief Minister.
Former President Nyerere referred to the Zanzibar problem during one of his preelection visits to the island. He said that the Chama Cha Mapinduzi will never entertain the idea of having conflicting groups within its ranks and that the main task of CCM leaders and members at the moment is to build a strong party.
He said it was healthy for CCM members to hold different views on certain issues, but this did not mean having groups engaging in “tug of war” within the Party.
He said prior to Tanganyika’s independence and the revolution in Zanzibar there existed several parties. On the Mainland there were TANU, Congress and other small ones. In the Isles there were the Afro Shirazi Party, UMMA and ZPP.
But after Tanganyika’s independence and the revolution in the Isles all the other parties dissolved themselves and their members joined the mainstream of TANU and ASP.
“Because we accepted them into our ranks, there was no reason whatsoever to continue to be suspicious of them since they became part of us”, he said.
The Party Chairman explained that the same people who did not belong to either TANU or ASP during the independence struggle were later absorbed by CCM in 1977.
What was important from these people was their allegiance to CCM and not to their former parties, including TANU and ASP, he stressed.
On Zanzibar’s political history, Mwalimu said at one time Pemba was the power base of the UMMA Party whilst the Afro Shirazi Party was dominant in Zanzibar.
Mwalimu dismissed as absurd claims by some CCM members and leaders in Zanzibar that there were good and bogus members within Chama Cha Mapinduzi.
He also said it was a great sin for CCM members to discriminate against fellow members on the basis of colour, or because their fathers and relatives belonged to Parties other than ASP.
“CCM is not a racist Party and with its formation we began a new chapter to build unity and forget the past” Mwalimu stressed.
On the nomination of Ndugu Ali Hassan Mwinyi for the Union Presidency, he said many people in Zanzibar were not happy because he had done commendably well during his short tenure of office in the Isles and would have wanted him to be their leader for a few more years.
On the other hand, a few disgruntled elements in Zanzibar were happy that Mwinyi would soon be moving to Dar es Salaam to head the Union Government which they considered better for them because as they saw it Ndugu Mwinyi was misleading Zanzibar.
Mwalimu stressed that whatever Ndugu Mwinyi had been able to do in the Isles was a result of his diligent application of Party policies and, therefore, whoever challenged him on this was challenging CCM and should be prepared to fight CCM, the Party Chairman warned.
He said after his retirement his main concern would be to build a strong and united CCM on the basis of the laid down objectives.
David Brewin