Professor Jay wins parliamentary seat in Tanzania’s elections
Tanzanian Bongo artist Joseph Haule, popularly known as Professor Jay, is the newest celebrity Member of Parliament.
The rapper was declared the new Mikumi constituency legislator in the just ended elections after garnering 32,259 votes.
Professor Jay, who was vying on the opposition Chadema ticket, floored the Chama Cha Mapinduzi candidate by a razor-thin margin of 1824 votes.
The ruling party had fielded Jonas Nkya who garnered 30, 425 votes.
Professor Jay becomes the second musician to be elected in office in the Sunday elections after Yamoto Band manager, Said Fella, got elected as the councilor of Kilungule ward, in Mbagala constituency.
The ‘Ndivyo Sivyo‘ rapper has in the past shown a great interest in politics after veteran rapper Mr Sugu won the Mbeya parliamentary seat in the 2010 elections.
Sunday’s elections in Tanzania has led to rising tensions as results started trickling in.
An opposition candidate in Zanzibar unilaterally declared himself the winner of the island’s presidential election and security agents arrested 191 people during a night raid on the opposition.
Official results released on Monday by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) put John Pombe Magufuli, the presidential candidate of the ruling CCM party, in the lead.
