Tanzania’s ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has predicted a 69.3 percent win in the General Election scheduled for October 25.  

January Makamba, a member of the party’s campaign team, said in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday that his team had studied the trend of campaigns and came up with the figure – reading on the voters’ acceptance of the party’s presidential candidate John Magufuli. 

Mr Makamba said that Dr Magufuli had already conducted 76 rallies in 12 regions and 381 roadside campaigns in 94 election constituencies - cruising 13,720km by road to meet voters. 

“Because some of our meetings are televised live and broadcast in community radios, we estimate that we have already reached 70 per cent of voters,” Mr Makamba said in a press conference. 

He said more than three quarters of the party’s parliamentary candidates had launched their campaigns and they were “faring well” but the campaign team was preparing special intervention in constituencies with special challenges and the CCM cadres would revisit the areas during the last 30 days of campaigns to iron out the challenges. 

Mr Makamba said his party had received invitation from the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) and Twaweza for presidential candidates' debates which it would honour. 

He rapped an invitation extended to CCM by James Mbatia, co-chairman of Umoja wa Katiba ya Wananchi (Ukawa), which was made in a televised show on Tuesday night calling for parties to field their representatives in a live debate.

“Nowhere in the world do you see leaders of the parties participating in an election going for the debate. It is the candidates who debate,” he said. 

Mr Makamba reiterated his party’s concern in what he called religious incitement when Ukawa’s candidate Edward Lowassa was captured in a video clip asking his fellow Lutherans to pray for him because the country had never had a Lutheran President. 

“We expected Ukawa could use their meeting with journalists to apologise and explain what really happened in Tabora on September 6 when Lowassa asked Lutherans to vote for him. But they have never done so,” he said.

However, in a televised show, Mr Mbatia said on Wednesday that Mr Lowassa did not ask for votes but he asked for prayers. 

For nearly two weeks, a video clip apparently captured using a mobile phone camera has been circulating on social media showing Mr Lowassa asking members of the Tabora Lutheran church to pray for him “because since creation the nation had never had a Lutheran president. 

“Lutherans have a reason to pray harder because since this country was created we have never seen a Lutheran President. Nyerere was a Catholic, Mkapa was a Catholic…” Mr Lowassa is heard saying in a video clip seen by The EastAfrican. 

Another clip connects Mr Lowassa’s former plea with Tanzania’s first President Julius Nyerere who is warning Tanzanians against politicians who use religion as a factor to be elected.