In a surprise move, Tanzania Labor Party (TLP), the east African nation’s opposition party on Wednesday announced that it will support ruling party’s President John Magufuli in the October 2020 general elections.
Magufuli who took office in November 2015 after he had won the general elections under the ticket of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi will vie for a second five-year term re-election bid in the forthcoming presidential race. Augustino Mrema, TLP’s national chairman, said the opposition party has endorsed President Magufuli as their presidential candidate in the October general elections.
“Our party will not nominate a presidential candidate for the October 2020 elections but we have agreed to support Magufuli who will be vying for the presidency on the ticket of the ruling party,” Mrema told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. Mrema said the endorsement of President Magufuli will be officially announced during TLP’s delegates’ conference on May 9, 2020.
