Tanzania’s ruling party nominated President John Magufuli to stand for re-election for a second and final term in the October vote.
Magufuli was endorsed at a National Congress in the capital Dodoma on Saturday.
Magufuli stood unopposed after former Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe, who planned to challenge the incumbent leader, was expelled earlier this year for unspecified ethical misconduct, a decision endorsed by the party on Friday.
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.
All 1,822 delegates at Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s national congress in the capital Dodoma voted in favor of Magufuli’s candidacy. The congress was televised live on state television.
Membe has however denied any wrongdoing and has said he was kicked out of the party for wanting to run for president.
At the same event, Magufuli affirmed the choice of Samia Suluhu as his running mate in the october election.
Speaking after the endorsement, Magufuli vowed to repay the faith CCM congress members showed in him with an outstanding performance in office if elected for the second presidential term.
“I didn’t expect to get all votes and endorsed by 100 percent…I cannot find a proper word to express my appreciation but what i can say is that the faith and confidence you have placed in me is a debt to CCM members and Tanzanians in general” a joyful Magufuli said.
The ruling party also nominated Defense Minister Hussein Mwinyi as its presidential candidate for the Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, which holds separate elections at the same time as the mainland’s vote.
Since coming to power in late 2015, Magufuli, 60, has boosted government revenue, moved to reform the mining industry and increased spending on roads, railways and power projects.
Opposition leaders accuse president Magufuli of cracking down on democracy, freedoms and dissent, allegations that he denies.
