Former Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Lowassa has kicked off his presidential campaign by presenting himself as a decisive leader and a champion for the poor in a crowded field for the ruling party ticket.

In a policy-heavy speech delivered at a rally in his hometown Arusha on Saturday, he outlined his vision for transforming the country saying, “Tanzanians want change and I believe I have the ability to bring that change.”

Education, agriculture, unemployment, corruption and protecting the union with Zanzibar featured prominently in his “A Journey of Hope” campaign message.

Mr Lowassa, 72, sought to curve out a niche for himself as a politician who represents political consensus and stability. 

He campaigned on his five decade experience in politics, which he says sets him apart from the more than 30 candidates expected to seek presidential nomination from the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.

“The country is looking for the head of CCM, the president and the commander-in-Chief of the armed forces,” he told the crowd at Sheikh Amri Abeid Kaluta stadium in downtown Arusha.

“You cannot afford to have flip-floppers. A president must be politically mature to lead the CCM and the country and I have these qualities”.

READ: Tanzania’s Young Turks take on the Old Guard

His message of decisive leadership played well with his supporters, who cheered on when he recalled his days in the battle field as a lieutenant on the frontlines of the 1978-1979 Kagera war that ousted Uganda’s President Idi Amin from power.

This election will test Mr Lowassa’s influence after seeking nomination from his party in 1995 when he was rejected in the early stages, and in 2005, when he chose to back the incumbent President Jakaya Kikwete.

Mr Lowassa, seen as a frontrunner for the ticket, has risen through the ranks of CCM as a district party executive in the 1980s, held several ministerial positions and served as prime minister from 2005 until 2008 when he resigned after being implicated in the Richmond corruption scandal which cost the country over $100 million.

Local press in Tanzania had reported that the former premier was expected to address the issue after seven years of silence, but he never mentioned the scandal in his speech, only saying the war on corruption must go beyond rhetoric.

His supporters, who see him as the hope for the country, are confident that the scandal will not derail his march to the presidency.

“Young people want Lowassa because he is a strong leader who wants the best for this country and he has the will to make tough decisions without second guessing himself,” says 30 year-old Ramadan Rajabu, a tour operator in Arusha.

An official from the lobby group Friends of Lowassa told The EastAfrican that “the corruption allegations are just a smear campaign against a man who has given so much to this country and now it’s time for him to take the driver’s seat”.

Some people were however sceptical about Mr Lowassa’s pledge to fight corruption after being implicated in the Richmond scandal.

“Why is he speaking about Richmond after seven years?” asked a party supporter who wished not to be named.

“The party has the ability to provide a leader with no tainted past,” he said.

CCM presidential nominations are decided by the National Executive Committee, a 370 member politburo which elects the party’s chairman, who is almost certain of winning the presidency. 

The party has ruled Tanzania since independence and has continued to retain its popularity and the voter's confidence, having won all the past four General Elections in 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 since the introduction of multiparty politics.

The former prime minister has the money, the organisation, and the endorsements from key party leaders, giving him a head start in the race.

Lowassa is seen as a favourite in a race that has attracted more than 30 candidates including current Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, Foreign Affairs minister Bernard Membe and Makongoro Nyerere, a member of the East African Legislative Assemby (EALA) and the son of the country’s first president Julius Nyerere.

READ: As the race to succeed Kikwete hots up, Lowassa is the man to watch

In the coming few days, more politicians are expected to announce their bid for the party’s ticket as the October 25 polls take shape.