South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated his Tanzanian counterpart John Magufuli on his re-election to that country’s highest office, the presidency said on Tuesday.
Magufuli, one of the multiple candidates in the 28 October presidential poll, won his second term on 1 November, the day the country’s National Electoral Commission pronounced him as the overall winner with 84 percent of total votes cast.
Opposition parties, however, claimed foul play during the elections, saying the polls were neither free nor fair due to alleged rigging.
The opposition leaders called on their supporters to take to the streets to protest against the outcome, and this led to the arrest of the leaders who have since been released after questioning.
Despite this, the presidency said “President Ramaphosa commends the people of Tanzania for upholding democratic principles and holding peaceful elections.”
“Furthermore, the president looks forward to working with Dr Magufuli to strengthen the strong cordial bilateral relations that exist between South Africa and Tanzania,” the high office said.
NM/jn/APA