Tanzania's opposition leaders step down to protest presidential candidate choice

Two senior leaders of Tanzania's new opposition coalition have resigned over the nomination of a former ruling party official as presidential candidate, exposing fractures in the fragile coalition ahead of an October poll.

In a move meant to cut the ruling party's 54-year grip on power, Tanzania's four major opposition parties on Tuesday named former prime minister Edward Lowassa - once seen as a leading contender for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party nomination - as their candidate.