Tanzania's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) is leading a local online polling in the run-up toward this year's general elections slated for October 30.

By Monday morning, Jakaya Kikwete, CCM's candidate for the presidency of the United Republic of Tanzania, is leading the online preference poll for the union presidency with 62.6 percent of the votes cast by 17,509 people while Aman Abeid Karume, CCM's candidate for the Zanzibar presidency, is leading the preference poll with 50 percent.

The Civic United Front (CUF), Tanzania's major opposition party, has been polled to trail the ruling party in both categories.

Ibrahim Lipumba, CUF's candidate for the union presidency, has garnered 28.0 percent of the votes while Seif Shariff Hamad, CUF's candidate for the Zanzibar presidency, has got 48.2 percent of the votes.

On the third spot of the union presidency preference poll is Freeman Mbowe, representing Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo ( CHADEMA), with 4.2 percent of the votes.

Mussa Kitole of the Jahazi Asilia party has posted 1.5 percent of the preferential votes for the Zanzibar presidency.

The online preference polls, conducted among Tanzanians residing both at home and abroad, coincide with the results of a public opinion polls conducted by the Research and Education for Democracy in Tanzania (Redet) and released earlier this month.

Kikwete, who has been serving as Tanzania's foreign minister for the past 10 years, is leading the Redet polls with 75.1 percent of the votes while Lipumba trails with 13.5 percent, followed by Mbowe with 0.7 percent.

The Redet polls gave Karume a 45.8 percent lead over Hamad who had 42 percent of the preference votes for the Zanzibar presidency.

Eligible voters will cast their votes on Sunday to elect not only the presidents of the united republic and Zanzibar, but also members to the union and Zanzibar parliaments and officials to man the district councils.

Source: Xinhua