Dar es Saalam. Today, Friday, October 11, until October 20, 2024, the process of registering eligible Tanzanians in the voter list for the upcoming Local Government elections will take place across all regions in the country.
The election, scheduled for November 27, 2024, is overseen by the Ministry of State, President’s Office, Regional Administration, and Local Government (PO-RALG), and it will be conducted at the local, village, and sub-village levels.
In a press briefing yesterday, the Director of Information Services and Chief Government Spokesperson, Thobias Makoba, announced that approximately 80,812 registration centers have been established so far.
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Regarding the qualifications for those eligible to register and vote, Makoba stated: “First, one must be a Tanzanian citizen, secondly, be 18 years or older, and also a resident of the respective village, sub-village or street, as well as being of sound mind.”
Makoba emphasized that the government is reminding citizens to come out and participate in this process for the nation’s development and to exercise their constitutional rights.
He also urged the media to conduct their work professionally, noting recent instances where some media outlets have violated the law, ethics, and journalism standards.
“The media should avoid showing favoritism towards any group, party, or political stance,” said Makoba. “Moreover, I remind the media to avoid inciting any form of violence or conflict by releasing information that could cause division in our country.”
In a related development, opposition parties ACT-Wazalendo and CHADEMA have criticized TAMISEMI in the recent preparations for the Local Government elections.
ACT-Wazalendo, through its Secretary-General Ado Shaibu, expressed dissatisfaction yesterday with the election process, particularly the swearing-in of parties’ agents and the involvement of political parties overall.
Shaibu said: “PO-RALG gives parties very little time to participate. Our conclusion is that TAMISEMI is deliberately limiting party efficiency in the agents’ process and in the voter registration process, which is a major flaw we have seen, especially in Dar es Salaam, where in many municipalities, involvement happens only one or two days before the swearing-in of agents.”
This issue was also raised by CHADEMA’s Secretary-General John Mnyika on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, during a press conference.
