Tanzania’s President John Magufuli has been endorsed by his ruling party as the candidate for upcoming presidential polls.
Magufuli was endorsed at a National Congress in the capital Dodoma on Saturday.
He also affirmed the choice of Samia Suluhu as his running mate at the congress.
Earlier this month John Magufuli said that he was seeking re-election later this year to complete unfinished projects.
Magufuli who is also the chairman of his ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) will now seek to secure a second term in October 2020.
The outspoken leader said projects that he started in his first five-year term needed to be finished and securing a second and final term in office will afford him the chance to do so.
He was quoted by local media as saying that “When I took office in 2015, CCM planned to implement a number of flagship projects. Some of them have been completed and a number of them are still under implementation.
“My wish is to complete implementation of the unfinished projects in the next five years.”
In 2017 President Magufuli rejected appeals from his supporters to extend his term limit beyond the two terms of five years stipulated in the country’s constitution.
Mr. Magufuli said he will respect the constitution and the term limit placed on the tenure of a president.
This is seen by many analysts as a sharp contrast to what usually happens elsewhere on the continent where Presidents claim to be heeding to calls from citizens to extend their stay in office by changing the constitution.
Magufuli told supporters calling for him to stay longer in office that “It’s impossible. I will respect the constitution.”
“I have sworn to defend the constitution … I shall play my part and pass on the leadership reins to the next president when the time comes,” he said.
Elected in 2015 for his first term of five years, Magufuli should he run again in 2020 and win will no longer be eligible to run in 2025 due to the term limit.
Source: Africafeeds.com
