Chadema to pick candidate August

Dar es Salaam. Chadema’s presidential aspirant will be known on August 2, according to the party nomination timetable announced in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Talking to reporters at the party’s headquarters yesterday, Chadema deputy secretary general (Zanzibar) Salum Mwalimu, said that the intra-party nominations will not affect the joint selection of candidates under the opposition coalition, Ukawa.

Mr Mwalimu said that Chadema members interested to be nominated as presidential candidates should pick, fill and return forms between July 20 and 25 to enable party meetings to go on with the nomination process.

He said that there would be two phases of nomination for those seeking to become MPs. He said, the first phase, whose forms would be out from May 18 to 25, would involve constituencies which currently have no Chadema MPs.

In constituencies which have Chadema MPs, he said, forms will be out from July 6 to 10. This involves both, those seeking elective posts and special seats. For those seeking councillorship, Mr Mwalimu said forms would be issued from May 18 to 25 in areas where Chadema has no councillors and in wards where the party has representatives, forms would be collected between July 1 and 7.  “This will enable respective executive committees to conduct the nomination process as well as primaries.

“But in all instances, the National Executive Committee will carry out the final nominations after the lower levels have completed their process,” said Mr Mwalimu.

He noted that in making the final nomination, the party’s NEC would consider a number of factors and would not rely on the outcome of primaries alone.