President John Magufuli of Tanzania has called on countrymen to ignore the calls for an extension of the constitutionally backed five years to seven years because the issue of presidential term extension has never been discussed by top organs of the ruling party.
In what he sees as a leeway to anarchy, Magufuli does not plan to make the change during his tenure. Tanzania is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most stable democracies and has held five relatively peaceful multi-party elections since 1995, all won by the ruling party.
President Magufuli was elected president of Tanzania in October 2015 for his first term although he is constitutionally right to seek re-election, he is yet to indicate whether he will seek re-election in 2020. If he does and wins, he would be ineligible to contest the vote in 2025.
Nicknamed “the Bulldozer” for his strict leadership style, Magufuli has won praise for his tough anti-corruption fight.
