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Tanzanians vote in presidential election

By the CNN Wire Staff
Voters queue in Tanzania on Sunday.
Voters queue in Tanzania on Sunday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The election features seven presidential candidates
  • Incumbent seeks a second term in the relatively peaceful east African nation
  • Voters in the Zanzibar island also go to the polls
RELATED TOPICS
  • Tanzania

(CNN) -- Voting was underway in Tanzania on Sunday as the president seeks a second term in the relatively peaceful east African nation.

The election features seven presidential candidates, including President Jakaya Kikwete of the ruling party CCM, or Chama Cha Mapinduzi.

Kikwete won by a landslide 80 percent in 2005, but is facing some of the strongest opposition since the nation took on multiparty politics in the 1990s.

He has pledged to improve education facilities and cut down on poverty in a nation. He also pledged to build more health facilities and transportation infrastructure, including roads and railways.

But his critics say the former foreign minister has not kept the promises he made when he was elected, including fighting corruption.

A majority of Tanzanians live below the poverty line, the International Monetary Fund says.

The incumbent's main opposition, Willibrod Slaa of the Chadema party, has vowed to tackle graft and improve health and education services if elected.

Tanzania has enjoyed relative stability despite political turmoil in neighboring countries, including Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Voters in the Zanzibar island, which enjoys autonomy from Tanzania, also went to the polls Sunday.