Tanzania's ruling party picks 3 candidates for presidency

Tanzania's ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), on Saturday night elected its three members, including two females, to run for presidency on the ticket of the party.

The three were Minister for Works John Magufuli, former UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro and former Zanzibar cabinet minister Amina Salum Ali.

It was the first time that women aspirants were reaching this stage of nominations in the history of the ruling party.

Should one of the women be voted for as the winner by the members of the party's national congress, it would be a huge step towards the country making history as offering a woman to run for presidency.

Over 300 members of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) elected the trio out of five who were earlier picked by the party's Central Committee.

Magufuli, Migiro and Ali were elected by NEC and entered the final ballot at the national congress that voted for one candidate on Saturday night.

The party's congress was expected to vote for one candidate out of these three who will run for the presidency on the party's ticket in the Oct. 25 general election. The congress was expected to convene on late Saturday night.

The dropped duo were Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Bernard Membe, and the Deputy Minister for Science, Technology and Communications, January Makamba.

These were among 38 CCM members who had collected nomination forms to contest for the east African nation's highest office.

Thirty-three CCM members, including political heavyweights such as Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda and former Prime Ministers Edward Lowassa and Fredrick Sumaye, were eliminated at early stages.

The ruling party's NEC also endorsed Zanzibar President Ali Mohamed Shein to seek re-election as leader of the Zanzibar archipelago.