The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
6 July 2009
Biharamulo — Low turnout was witnessed yesterday as voters in Biharamulo West voted for a Member of Parliament to replace the former Tanzania Labour party MP, Phares Kabuye who died in bus accident in Morogoro in April.
Most of voting stations were opened at 7am as announced but up to noon most of them were empty after few people who queued in the morning finished casting their ballots.
Three parties have been conducting campaigns for the past three weeks with TLP picking Mpeka Buhangaza as flag bearer to defend their seat.
Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has nominated Oscar Rwegasira Mukasa while Chadema's candidate was Dr Anthony Gervas.
About 87,189 voters were legible to vote in eight wards of the constituency but parties and their candidates were eagerly waiting for results from three wards of Biharamulo Urban, Runazi na Lusahunda, deemed t be the ones with high number of voters.
The voting went on smoothly save for lone incident in Lusahunga where Chadema supporters suspected a vehicle which they stopped.
Upon inspection, several people were found in the vehicle with about Sh200,000 and 12 voter registration cards.
They were arrested and sent to Police station but reports from the police said that the arrested people were found with only two voter registration cards. Earlier results indicated close contest between CCM and Chadema candidates with TLP performing badly.
Results at Biharamulo primary school station A, CCM candidate polled 76 while Chadema also obtained 76 votes with a TLP candidate managing only a single vote.
At station B, CCM obtained 80 votes, Chadema 77. No one voted for TLP candidate in this station. At centre C, Chadema led by 86 votes followed by CCM with six votes with TLP failing to get even a single vote.
Reports from the ground indicate that contrary to Busanda constituency, where Chadema had huge following in urban areas, this time th opposition party also focused its campaigns in rural areas where CCM normally wins majority of voters.
Meanwhile, two Chadema leaders were injured when a vehicle they were travelling in from Lunazi ward overturned.
The party's Secretary General, Dr Wilibroad Slaa, said the duo were subsequently sent to Biharamulo hospital where they were x-rayed.
Dr Slaa named those involved in the accident as a district coordinator he identified as Marwa and another district leader called Major Linus.
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