John Magufuli was sworn in Thursday for his second term as president of Tanzania after a landslide election victory dismissed by the political opposition as a sham.
His inauguration in Dodoma, the Tanzanian capital,
proceeded despite opposition demands that fresh elections be held after
reporting widespread irregularities in the October 28 poll, allegations the US
and others described as credible.
The president urged national unity and promised to work for
all Tanzanians, after taking the oath of office and waving a ceremonial spear
and shield before a crowd that included regional leaders and ambassadors.
"Elections are now over," Magufuli said,
repeating the line twice more before a packed stadium of spectators, many
wearing the green and yellow of the ruling party. Outside, his address was
beamed on large screens for crowds of onlookers.
"The biggest and most important task ahead for us all
is to build the nation together. I assure Tanzanians that I will honour the
oath, and implement what we promised to build the nation. I will work with you
all."
Magufuli won a crushing 84 percent of votes while his Chama
Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party took 97 percent of parliament seats up for grabs.
Magufuli's main challenger, the Chadema party's Tundu
Lissu, officially won just 13 percent of the vote, while popular opposition MPs
lost seats in key strongholds.
Tanzania's opposition parties called for mass street
demonstrations against the results, but their leaders were swiftly detained and
a heavy security presence deterred potential protest action.
Even before the vote, few had believed the polls would be
free and fair, after what they condemned as a steady decline into autocracy
under Magufuli's rule.
The 61-year-old, nicknamed "The Bulldozer", was
in his first term accused of flouting due process and brooking no criticism in
the East African country once held up as a stable democracy in an
often-volatile region.
Opposition figures faced violence and police intimidation,
press freedom was squeezed, and political rallies banned in a steady crackdown
that international rights watchdogs said was a steady erosion of freedoms.
Most foreign media were not allowed into Tanzania to cover
the election, while local and international observer missions were also not
present.
The US and UK expressed concern over the arrest of political leaders and election-related violence, and called for investigations into the allegations of fraud which the opposition said included ballot box stuffing.
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