Profiles of presidential candidates

Tanzanians go to the polls on Sunday to elect a president from 10 candidates. Below is a brief profile of each candidate: Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, 55, a candidate of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM – Revolutionary Party), is the top favourite to become the country's fourth president. He is Tanzania's longest serving foreign affairs minister, since November 1995. He had earlier served as minister for finance (1994-1995), minister for water, energy and minerals (1990-1994) and deputy minister for water, energy and minerals (1988-90). Kikwete has been a CCM cadre since youth. He joined the party in 1975, then known as Tanzania African National Union (TANU) as an assistant regional secretary, after graduating from the University of Dar es Salaam, where he studied economics. After joining TANU/CCM, Kikwete rose through the ranks to become a member of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) in 1982 and Central Committee (CC) in 1997, positions he holds to date. He was born on 7 October 1950 at Msoga village, Bagamoyo District in Coast Region. Ibrahim Lipumba, 56, a former professor of economics at the University of Dar es Salaam, is running on the ticket of the main opposition party, Civic United Front (CUF), of which he is the chairman. He is making a third attempt for the presidency, after losing the race to outgoing Benjamin Mkapa in 1995 and 2000. Lipumba was born in 1952, in Tanzania's central region of Tabora. He holds a doctorate degree in economics. Before entering politics, he had a 19-year academic career with the University of Dar es Salaam. At one time, Lipumba served as economic adviser to Tanzania's second president, Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1985-1995). Freeman Mbowe, 44, a businessman and upcoming politician, is among the popular figures in the country. He is chairman of Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA - Party for Democracy and Development). Mbowe, who holds a diploma in education, served as a member of parliament from 2000 until July 2005, when the house was dissolved to pave way for the 30 October 2005 general elections. Augustine Mrema, 60, one of the country's maverick politicians, who at one time during the one-party political era served as deputy prime minister and minister for home affairs, is making his third attempt for the presidency. Mrema lost to Mkapa in 1995 when he contested on the ticket of National Convention for Construction and Reform (NCCR) and in 2000 through Tanzania Labour Party (TLP). Leonard Shayo, 57, surprised many people some two years ago when he decided to form a political party, Chama Cha Demokrasia Makini (Party for Serious Democracy), claiming that none of the existing parties was capable of hauling Tanzania out of poverty. Shayo, who holds a doctoral degree in mathematics from the University of London and a master's degree in computer sciences, quit his job earlier in 2005 as a professor at the University of Dar es Salaam so as to join the presidential race. Christopher Mtikila, 55, is the country's most controversial politician and had on several occasions been in trouble with the law. At one point, he was imprisoned for a year after he was convicted of sedition and inciting the public. Mtikila, who is a clergyman with the Full Salvation Church, struggled for several years beginning 1992 before his Democratic Party (DP) was granted registration as a political party. Edmund Sengondo Mvungi, 53, is running on the ticket of National Convention for Construction and Reforms (NCCR). He is a lawyer and human rights activist. He was until recently a lecturer in law at the University of Dar es Salaam. Anna Claudia Senkoro, 43, made history when she became the first Tanzanian woman to contest the presidency on the ticket of Progressive Party of Tanzania (PPT). Paul Henry Kyara, 58, is running on the ticket of the little known Sauti Ya Umma (SAU - People's Voice). Emmanuel Makaidi, 62, a popular figure in the opposition is running on the ticket of the party he chairs, the National League for Democracy (NLD).