Statement by the President on Elections in Tanzania

On behalf of the United States, I congratulate the people of the United Republic of Tanzania on your recent national election and your continued commitment to a tradition of multiparty contests begun in 1992.  I look forward to working with President Jakaya Kikwete and the members of the Tenth Parliament as we build on the long, fruitful partnership between our nations to advance shared development goals and tackle the many global challenges before us.

I also extend my congratulations to Zanzibar’s President Ali Mohamed Shein, First Vice President Seif Sharif Hamad, the new unity government, and most especially the Zanzibari people, who have made history by conducting a peaceful contest after years of strife.  As I said to President Kikwete when we met at the White House in 2009, the people of the United States support all Tanzanians in your efforts to institutionalize democratic, transparent governance, to realize the full potential of your Union, and to ensure that the steps you have taken together toward a lasting peace and prosperity cannot be reversed.