Tanzanian President Faces Rare Challenge for Party Nomination

(Bloomberg) --

A former foreign minister wants to challenge Tanzania's incumbent leader, John Magufuli, for the ruling party's nomination for presidential candidate.

Bernard Membe asked the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party's Central Committee, or CC led by Magufuli, for an opportunity to be flag bearer for the group that has governed Tanzania for more than four decades. The CCM's presidential nomination, not usually for an incumbent, is contentious because whoever is picked is almost assured of becoming the nation's president.

“If the central committee gives me the consent, i will go on Monday morning to collect nomination forms and challenge the president for the CCM ticket,” Membe told supporters at his home in Lindi, southern Tanzania on Sunday. His announcement comes after the CC in February expelled him from the party, a move Membe has rejected, saying the party's National Executive Committee is yet to ratify removing him.

Membe served as foreign minister from 2007 until 2015, when he sought CCM's nomination for elections that year, but the party chose Magufuli instead. While Membe's fresh bid for the October elections goes against CCM's tradition of not challenging a sitting president, the party's constitution allows it.

Since coming to power in late 2015, Magufuli has boosted government revenue, moved to reform the mining industry and increased spending on roads, railways and power projects. Opposition leaders including Chadema party Chairman Freeman Mbowe have however accused the president of cracking down on democracy, allegations that he denies.

Magufuli, 60, picked up nomination forms from CCM's headquarters on Wednesday and told supporters that he is running again to fulfill an “obligation of implementing” the party's 2020-25 manifesto.

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