NEC reinstates 15 in parliamentary race, dismisses 40 appeals

Dar es Salaam. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has reinstated 15 parliamentary candidates who were initially sidelined as ineligible.

They were reinstated after appealing against their exclusion.

NEC said in a statement released yesterday and signed by director of elections Wilson Mahera that the commission rejected 40 appeals filed by disqualified parliamentary candidates.

These include 15 appeals lodged by aspirants who were disqualified by returning officers. The other 25 appeals were filed by parties against nominated candidates.

Opposition parties Chadema and ACT-Wazalendo said later yesterday that they were not satisfied with the way NEC handled the appeal process, although they added that their candidates were yet to receive official communication from the commission.

“None of our candidates has received any official letter from NEC, whose statement hasn’t named candidates who have been reinstated and those who haven’t,” ACT-Wazalendo secretary-general Ado Shaibu told The Citizen.

He said the party had filed 62 appeals with the electoral body, seeking justice after its candidates were “victimised”.

However, the NEC statement said the appeal results had been sent to the involved aspirants, adding that other results would be released in the coming days.

Mr Shaibu said 140 ACT-Wazalendo parliamentary candidates had been cleared to contest seats in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar in the October 28 General Elections.

The party filed 48 and 14 appeals in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, respectively, challenging the exclusion of its candidates from the elections.

ACT-Wazalendo recently demanded that NEC and the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) reinstate its parliamentary candidates who were “irregularly” barred from the elections.

The opposition party said 14 of the 50 parliamentary candidates it had nominated in Zanzibar have been axed by ZEC, while NEC has cleared 104 of 168 candidates nominated in Tanzania Mainland.

Contacted for comment, Chadema secretary-general John Mnyika said the party would issue a statement after receiving official communication from NEC.

“NEC has released a statement which clearly aims to cause anxiety and panic among political parties and candidates. NEC was supposed to include in its statement the names of candidates and constituencies involved in the process,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Civic United Front (CUF) declined to comment on the matter, saying it would do so after receiving an official letter from NEC.