An important opposition figure in Tanzania has been taken into custody.
Other opposition leaders, including Chadema party chairman Freeman Mbowe, have been arrested in southwest Tanzania. Reports released on Friday, November 22, state that the lawmakers have been questioned for allegedly breaking election campaign laws set forth by the local government.
The director of communications for the opposition party, however, has rejected the police's account, accusing them of manipulating the situation to harm Chadema's campaign. This week, the party protested that a large number of its nominees were "unfairly" excluded from the polls on November 27. In September, riot police stopped a large gathering in Dar es Salaam, briefly detaining Mbowe, his deputy Tundu Lissu, and other opposition leaders.