NCCR-Mageuzi’s fate in Ukawa to be known next week
What you need to know:
National Chairman James Mbatia said the decision would be made by a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to be held on February 19, 2020 because the matter was constitutional.
Dar es Salaam. NCCR Mageuzi yesterday said its participation in the 2020 General Elections through the Coalition of the Defenders of People's Constitution (Ukawa) would be decided by a meeting of the National Executive Committee (Nec).
The opposition party’s national chairman, Mr James Mbatia, made the statement in Dar es Salaam during a press conference to inform the public on the party's participation in the forthcoming elections.
"The party will convene a meeting of Nec on February 19, this year to deliberate on various issues including our participation in this year’s elections. We will come up with resolutions including our involvement in Ukawa because this is a constitutional matter,” he said.
Though Mr Mbatia said modules of their participation would be known after the Nec meeting, the opposition party would field its aspirants in all contested positions across Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.
Tanzania will hold the general elections in October, this year, to elect union president, Zanzibar president, parliamentarians, members of the House of Representatives and councillors.
Regarding the demand for an independent electoral commission, Mr Mbatia advised Tanzanians to avoid putting personal interests on the matter and instead prioritize the interests of the country.
“This commission isn’t a concern of political parties, rather it determines the existence of the country. The matter is who will give a clear definition of which one is an independent electoral body,” he said.
He said an election was a participatory process rather than inclusive, noting that the decision should be made on the matter after over 20 years of struggle.
“The independent electoral commission will belong to Tanzanians. Leaders in power should see how to bring consensus for the victory of Tanzania as a country,” he said.
In another development, Mr Mbatia reiterated the call for the formation of the disaster management agency as stipulated by the Disaster Management Act 2015.
“We need to be proactive instead of waiting to respond to incidents. Disaster preparedness and response is a profession which should be respected,” he said.
