Tanzania: Chadema Presidential Candidate Tundu Lissu Arrested, Police Confirm

Said Khamis/Deutsche Welle
Opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu casts his vote in Singida.
2 November 2020
The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
By Alawi Masare

Dar es Salaam — Chadema presidential candidate Tundu Lissu has been arrested on Monday evening, November 2, 2020, police have confirmed.

Mr Lissu joins a growing list of opposition leaders who have been rounded up since Saturday as security personnel moved to forestall a planned post-election demonstration to protest the Tanzania election results.

"We arrested him in Dar es Salaam when he was leaving the European Union head offices," Dar es Salaam Regional Police Commander Lazaro Mambosasa said by phone. It was not immediately clear who Mr Lissu was meeting with at the EU's Umoja House offices.

"The arrest is in related to a plan to protest which was outlawed. We are just entering the Central Police Station," Mambosasa added.

Other than Mr Lissu, other opposition leaders in custody include the Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe, former Arusha MP Godbless Lema and former Dar es Salaam mayor Isaya Mwita and Ubungo Mayor Boniface Jacob. They were reportedly arrested last night ahead of the planned protest.

Dozens of other opposition officials and supporters around the country have been arrested in connection to the protest.

Chadema and ACT Wazalendo on Saturday called for people to take to the streets for peaceful protests over last week's election results which they said was rigged and demand fresh polls.

However, police banned the protest saying it's illegal.

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