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| Rt. Rev. Tarcisius Ngalalekumtwa, Chairman TEC, Bishop of Iringa |
Tanzanian Catholic Bishops, under their umbrella body, Tanzanian Episcopal Conference, (TEC) have urged political leaders to accept the results of the just concluded presidential elections which were announced on Thursday 29th October by National Electoral Commission as a sign of political maturity. The Bishops’ Conference also called upon Tanzanians to be vigilant and maintain peace as violence and refractory are not good for the development of the country.
Following the announcement by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) that Dr. John Pombe Magufuli of Chama Cha Mapinduzi CCM Party won the presidential election, citizens received the results with mixed reactions, as a result Bishops’ Conference has asked political leaders and their supporters to accept the results with patience and patriotism in order to maintain the peace in the country.
President of Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Rt. Rev. Tarcisius Ngalalekumtwa, in an exclusive interview with Kiongozi Newspaper urged all Tanzanians to show political maturity and follow the democratic processes as provided by the laws, regulations and procedures for the General Election. He implored political leaders to demonstrate political maturity by accepting to collaborate and work with each other to serve well the people of Tanzania. He said that failure to win an election should not be a reason for leaders not to participate in serving the nation.
Bishop Ngalalekumtwa urged Tanzanians to be calm and to accept the results peacefully. He also urged those who are not satisfied with the outcome or how the elections were conducted to follow the right procedure guided laws, rules and regulations to air their grievances and allow due process and justice to take its course.
“Violence and refractory are neither productive nor good for the welfare and development of the country. Tanzanians should maintain peace, and continue to thrive in democracy, prosperity and true progress,” he urged.
Tanzania held its general election on Sunday, 25th October, 2015. Presidential Candidate Mr. Edward Lowassa on Wednesday, 21st called for the nullification of T elections, accusing the National Electoral Commission of announcing partial results. This came after the nullification of Zanzibar's presidential elections by Zanzibar Electoral Commission, owing to widespread fraud.
By Sara Pelaji, Kiongozi Newspaper TEC
