20101107
Citizen

President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday morning took the oath of office for his second and final five-year term, with an impassioned appeal to fellow Tanzanians to forget their political differences and forge national unity to foster economic prosperity.

Addressing thousands of wananchi, who thronged the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam, to witness his swearing-in, President Kikwete said he was ready to join hands with all, including his opponents in the just ended General Election, to put the country back on "the right track for development."

But the 60-year-old President directed the security forces to move swiftly and stop any individuals or groups bent on sowing the seeds of discord among the people following the bitterly fought elections.

"The elections are over. We should let bygones be bygones and ensure that peace and stability prevail," Mr Kikwete said in his inauguration speech that lasted only a short 17 minutes.He went on: "I would like our security forces to be on the alert. We should not give an opportunity to anybody or groups of people from inside or outside Tanzania to endanger our peace."

Chief Justice Augustino Ramadhani, flanked by other Judges, swore in the President in a ceremony witnessed by five other heads of state, namely, Mr Mwai Kibaki (Kenya), Mr Jacob Zuma (South Africa), Mr Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Mr Rupia Banda (Zambia) and Mr Joseph Kabila (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Also present was Mr Kikwete's deputy in his first term, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein, who was only a few days ago sworn in as the Zanzibar President.

Others at the ceremony were retired Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa. Diplomats from several countries and top state officials filled the VIP podium during the auspicious occasion.

Chadema presidential candidate Willibrod Slaa, who skipped the official announcement of the results by the National Electoral Commission in Dar es Salaam on Friday, did not turn up.

Dr Slaa, 62, who came second to Mr Kikwete, had last Wednesday appealed to the NEC to rescind the presidential results and call a fresh election, alleging rigging.

According to Chadema officials, Dr Slaa will today declare his party's stand on the elections at a news press conference, following an earlier decision not to recognise President Kikwete's victory. The opposition party has accused the NEC and the National Security Services of doctoring the election results in favour of CCM.

However, all the other five losing presidential contenders, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, of the Civic United Front (CUF), Mr Peter Kuga Mziray, of the African Progressive Party of Tanzania (APPT-Maendeleo), Mr Hashim Rungwe, of the National Convention for Construction and Reform (NCCR-Mageuzi), Mr Muttamwega Bhatt Mgayhwa, of Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) and the United People's Democratic Party (UPDP) candidate, Mr Fahmi Nassoro Dovutwa, attended the swearing ceremony.

President Kikwete polled 5,276,827 votes or 61.1 per cent of the total vote in Sunday's election, followed by Dr Slaa, who garnered, 2,271941 votes or 26.3 per cent. Prof Lipumba came a distant third with 695,667 votes, which is equivalent to 8.06 per cent.

Yesterday, President Kikwete said he would now focus on the efforts to deliver on CCM's election campaign pledges, and complete the projects he started during his first term. He called on the people to "work tirelessly to make Tanzania prosper."

He said he would outline his government's vision and strategy for the next five years in an address to the National Assembly in Dodoma next week.

Parliament will also approve his choice of Prime Minister after which he will assemble the Cabinet for to implement the policies of his final administration.

Revisiting the chaos that for three days saw police lob tear gas and use water cannon against protesters angered by delays in releasing election results in Dar es Salaam and a few other parts of the country, Mr Kikwete urged tolerance and pledged electoral reforms to make future elections more acceptable.

"We should not create room for more divisions. Tanzania is known the world over as an island of peace. The challenge ahead should be to maintain and cherish that peace."

He said the government would work closely with NEC to conduct an assessment of the electoral process, with a view to instituting necessary reforms. "I promise moral and material support to make this successful," President Kikwete said.

He also praised the other six presidential candidates for "keeping CCM awake during the election campaign period" that lasted slightly over two months.

"You forced us (CCM) to work harder in our campaigns, and in some cases we had to go the extra mile to ensure that things were in order," he said.

He said he addressed 706 campaign rallies in 65 days, traveling 24,000 kilometres by car and flying 180 hours.

"I thank God that I finished this arduous task in good health," said President Kikwete.

Msia Kibowa Clark/AllAfrica

President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania (file photo).

In 2005, as he wound up his campaign for his first term, Mr Kikwete collapsed at Dar es Salaam's Jangwani grounds. And when he officially launched his re-election campaign last August, he also fainted at the podium at the same venue, stunning the huge crowd that had gathered to listen to him.

Yesterday, a jovial President Kikwete told CCM members to "walk tall" over his new mandate and remain loyal to the party's leaders. He said he would work hard to improve the party's chances of resoundingly winning future elections.

The President thanked all those who contributed to ensuring successful elections, including the defence and security organs, donors, under the coordination of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the media and local and international election observers.