Zanzibar: Fifth Tanzanian General Election Scheduled for 25 October 2015
The Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced that 25 October 2015 will be the day of the fifth general elections since the reintroduction of multiparty democracy in the United Republic of Tanzania. The Commission is willing to make these elections free and fair and insists on making the polling stations accessible to people who usually experience difficulties in voting.
Below is an article published by allAfrica:
The fifth general election since the re-introduction of multi-party democracy in Tanzania is scheduled for October 25, 2015, should the House of Representatives be dissolved in August.
"We have been making consultations with the Zanzibar House of Representatives and other key players in the elections before endorsing the proposed date for the presidential, House, and councillors' elections," Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) Chairman Jecha Salim Jecha said.
He made the statement at a meeting with election stakeholders including NGOs and political parties in Zanzibar, saying that his commission is on track to make the necessary arrangements to organise free and fair elections. "All arrangements are being made in order to have credible elections. We need everyone's support," said Mr Jecha as some of the participants in the one-day meeting held at the Zanzibar Beach Resort called for transparency. Mr Jecha said that arrangements are underway to enable the elderly, pregnant mothers, and people with disability to vote conveniently, while people in jail will have to wait longer because decisions regarding allowing them to vote have not been finalised. The ZEC chief informed the meeting supported by UNDP office that the general election campaigns are scheduled to start on September 07 this year alongside nomination of candidates. The Director of ZEC Mr Salum Ali Salum reminded parties about political tolerance and avoiding use of abusive language, which may lead to instability and hatred. ZEC is responsible for Zanzibar elections: Zanzibar presidency, House of Representatives, and councillors, while union presidency and union MP are supervised by the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
