John Magufuli of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) defeated his closest opponent Edward Lowassa in the Tanzania presidential elections, extending the party’s rule for another five years. The country’s electoral commission announced the results of the polls on Thursday (29 October).

CCM, which has been governing the country since independence in 1961, witnessed a close contest, with Magufuli securing 58% votes in the elections held on Sunday. President of the United Republic of Tanzania, National Electoral Commission (NEC) chief Damian Lubuva announced John Pombe Magufuli to have been duly elected.

Who is John Magufuli:-

• Magufuli, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Thursday, is a trained chemist from Tanzania’s north-western Chato district.
• He has been a member of parliament since 1995 and is a devout Roman Catholic. He has taught in a secondary school and has worked as an industrial chemist.
• Known to be a results-driven politician, Magufuli, was the minister of works earlier in the country’s central government. He has been credited with the nickname “Bulldozer”, for his campaign to build roads across the country.
• He has comedown heavily on corrupt officers and is known for hiding in trucks and emerging at weighing stations, to nail dishonest police officers.
• He has previously served as the minister of lands and human settlement and as the minister of livestock and fisheries in previous governments.

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