Chaumma faces funding crisis

Dar es Salaam. Chama Cha Ukombozi wa Umma (Chaumma) presidential candidate Hashim Rungwe said yesterday that political parties were facing financial constraints that restrained the free flow of election campaigns.

This has resulted into parties requesting the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to reschedule its original campaign timetable in the run up to October 28 General Election.

Mr Rungwe, who has won himself fame among Tanzanians due to his party’s policy of distributing rice once elected, said that he would proceed with campaigns upon the release of NEC’s updated timetable.

Speaking when he visited Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) – the publishers of Mwananchi, The Citizen, Mwanaspoti and Mwananchi Digital, he said he will start his next campaign phase at Kibaha.

“We do not receive subsidies from the government and that is why we are unable to meet the timetable requirements,” he said.

The party launched its campaigns earlier this month at Manzese Bakhressa grounds and has not moved out of Dar es Salaam.

He was optimistic however that soon, the party would start marketing itself to voters.

His party, he said, will also work on attracting foreign investors by creating a friendly environment and building a strong economy.

Livestock, crop production for industry, youth employment and infrastructure in general, will be given special attention when Mr Rungwe is elected president.

“In order to ensure that this is achieved, some of the money for the implementation of the policies will be sourced through spending cuts,” he said.

The expensive fuel-gobbling government vehicles will be replaced with ones that are cost-effective, he said.

He reiterated that for people to have development they must first be well-fed.