NEC flags off today’s polls

Dar es Salaam. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) yesterday assured Tanzanians that all preparations for smooth running of elections have been completed.

The Commission urged all stakeholders to fulfil their responsibilities as per the laws of the land to ensure free, credible and fair elections.

Briefing the press ahead of Election Day, NEC chairman Judge Semistocles Kaijage said the constitutional and legal authorities have set the stage for ensuring that voting is carried out safely without fear or intimidation.

“Legal authorities have been deployed to every polling station, in each ward and constituency to address grievances and resolve emerging challenges,” said Judge Kaijage.

The chairman reminded political parties, candidates, agents and their followers of ensuring that they adhere to the directives as stipulated in the Constitution and electoral laws and regulations.

He stressed that the procedures for vote casting, tallying and declaration of winners must strictly be adhered to by all officials and interested parties.

Judge Kaijage reiterated that at all times of voting and counting, political party agents have the right to be present at the polling stations, and their legal duty is to protect the interests of their parties and candidates.

He said whenever agents were not satisfied with how matters were run or handled at their polling station, they would fill in special forms provided by poll officials.

The NEC chairman also said that there were over 5,000 local and international election observers ready to undertake their duty in today’s elections.

“These observers will be passing through various polling stations. I urge the people and poll officials to give them co-operation in accordance with the rules, procedures and guidelines issued,” said Juge Kaijage.

He further declared that polling stations would open at 7am and close at 4pm, noting that voters who would be at the polling station during the closing of the station would be allowed to cast their votes.

“At 4pm the station guard will stand behind the last voter in line to ensure that the voter strikes the walls of the one who arrived within the specified time,” he said.

He urged voters to ensure that they clear from the polling station immediately after casting their vote.

Judge Kaijage also noted that there would be a total of 1,257 parliamentary candidates and 9,237 councillorship candidates from 19 parties with permanent registration.

Of all the parliamentary candidates, women are 294, making the equivalent of 23 percent while for councillorship there are 669 women, equal to 7.2 percent

Also two women equivalent to 13 percent are running for the presidency out of 15 candidates while there are five (33 percent) women vying for the vice presidency post.

The chairman revealed further that Commission has set up a total of 81,567 polling stations including 80,155 derived from the NEC’s permanent voter register and 1,412 polling stations derived from the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC)’s permanent voter register.