Tanzania's incumbent president wins election by landslide

Incumbent President John Magufuli of Tanzania won the Oct 28 presidential election after garnering 12.5 million votes that translated to 84 percent of the vote.

His close challenger Lissu Tundu secured 1.9 million votes, according to the National Electoral Commission.

The victory will see Magufuli of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi rule the country for the next 5 years during which he is expected to boost the country's economy and complete the pending infrastructure projects he promised while campaigning.

The voter turnout was about 51 percent, with more than 29 million registered electorates voting. Over 260,000 votes were declared invalid.

Tundu said he will not accept the results, arguing that the election was riddled with irregularities, a claim that the electoral commission refuted.

On Saturday, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya congratulated Magufuli, saying his re-election demonstrated the deep love, confidence and trust the people of Tanzania have in his leadership.

"On behalf of the people and the government of Kenya and on my own behalf, I congratulate you, my brother, Dr John Pombe Magufuli, on your election victory and that of your party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, in the just-concluded election," Kenyatta said in a statement.

"We in Kenya look forward to continue working with your administration for the benefit of the people of our two nations, for the prosperity of the East Africa and for the peace, stability and growth of the African continent."

The Chama Cha Mapinduzi party has dominated the political scene since the country gained independence in 1961.