Selemani Bungara alias Bwege lost the Kilwa South constituency parliamentary seat to Ally Kasinge of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) by 22,521 votes against his 10,096.
In an interview on K24 tv, the 58-year-old politician complained that Tanzanians had been denied a chance to exercise their democratic rights due to lack of conflict resolution mechanisms.
“I lost because it was not a free and fair election,” he told K24 tv’s Anne Kiguta.
“I can prove that in my district, the incumbent (President John Pombe Magufuli) garnered 70,000 followed by Tundu Lisu with 67,000 votes. I was there only for the Electoral Commission to announce the president had garnered 170,000 votes.
“In two districts alone, the Electoral Commission announced the President had garnered 300,000 more votes than he actually got.”
On what he plans to do next after the huge loss, Bungara quipped:
“I follow Kenyan politics and you are a democratic country. We saw someone (read Raila Odinga) head to court and win a case against the sitting president (in 2017). Here, the law prohibits a loser of the presidential election from heading to court to challenge the results. You are not even allowed to contest the results (in the court of public opinion). Demonstrations are banned.”
Bungara also thanked his Kenyan ‘brothers’ for the love they have shared with him in recent times, adding that he will now concentrate on his private businesses and farming.
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