BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
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Chadema's Director of Information and Publicity, John Mnyika.
Chaos, lack of equipment and other irregularities characterised yesterday's civic polls, forcing authorities to close some polling stations and postpone the exercise.
It is also reported that most voters who had turned up to elect village and street leaders could not fulfill their constitutional right due to lack of ballot papers, special ink and disappeared voters' and contenders' names.
A survey conducted by this paper in Dar es Salaam's Konondoni, Ilala and Temeke suburbs witnessed similar cases in most polling stations.
For instance, at the Baruti polling station, the actual number of registered voters displayed was 1,000 people, yet the document held by its returning officer had only 910 names.
A voter, Goodluck Shayo, who is adamant that he saw his name and number earlier and was shocked to be told that his name was not in the voters' register.
"I feel disappointed for not voting because I had followed all registering procedures...I doubt if this election will be fair," he lamented.
In related incidents across the city, contrary to the Local Government (election) Act 1966, the Kimara Bucha polling station had no security officers which gave room for ‘double voting' it was alleged,.
At Mbezi Luis, Kawe, Tegeta-Salasala , Airport, Mbagala, Kigamboni, Kariakoo and Sinza Mapambano polling stations, voters complained that the exercise had been delayed while others could not find their names.
At the Mbezi-Louis polling centre, Chadema candidate Daniel Julius said there was no ink and as such, "We have decided to buy the special ink
ourselves because we want the polls to be fair."
At the same time, the Ilala Municipal Director, Isaya Mngurumi, was forced to suspend the elections at several poll stations in the district, including those at Vingunguti and Sharif-for lack of ballot papers and missing names.
At ‘Msisiri B' polling station violence broke out with voters complaining over the entire exercise citing poor and mishandled procedures and the presence of contestants at the polling stations.
The Presiding Officer at the Msisiri B polling centre, Rehema Alfa, said the chaos was caused by absence of security.
According to Chadema's Director of Information and Publicity, John Mnyika the civic polls were unsuccessful due to lack of voting papers and special ink used to identify voters' participation by their finger prints.
"There was no ink at a polling station at Sinza in the city…the ruling party has done this intentionally to ruin the exercise," he said.
He explained that without the ink, it means no one can verify their voters' identity and according to him, the Prime Minister's Office should be blamed for the irregularities.
Similarly, at Segerea in Ilala District in Dar es Salaam, voters could not vote due to delays and lack of equipments. The affected stations are Ufaume, Liwiti, Misime, Machimbo and Amani.
A voter, one Hashimu Kilaini said they had been waiting to vote since the early hours of the morning but until afternoon they still had not voted and were instead ordered to leave because ‘the equipments had not yet arrived.'
"We were ordered to go back home and told that the elections have been postponed to next week," he lamented.
He said they were told that the missing equipment include, ballot papers, results forms and ink.
At Migombani polling station also in the city, chaos broke out with voters in physical altercations with officers following a disagreement as to whether to postpone the exercise or keep waiting for the equipments.
In Shinyanga, it is reported that very few people turned up for the exercise even though most poll stations opened on time and had the required equipment.
In Tabora, on the other hand, the turn up is reported to have been high and that the voting exercise was peaceful without a glitch.
The civic polls are also said to have been peacefully conducted in Singida, Manyara and Tanga regions.
Though in Muheza district, Tanga Region, up to 11:00 hours yesterday, at least 17 out of 33 wards had not yet received their ballot papers and the ruling party, CCM, scooped a landscape victory in at least 11 centres out of 181 with the opposition reported not to have put up any contestants.
A survey conducted in Kiseke, Kitangiri, Jiwe Kuu, Kilima Hewa, Igogo and the two constituencies of Ilemela and Nyamagana in Mwanza Region revealed that most of the voters there were not informed of procedures to follow and on spot short lessons had to be conducted by overseeing officers.
Still in the region, at Kabango polling station in Kiseke ‘A', Ilemela constituency, commotion arouse around 10:00 hours with hundreds of voters who had lined up for hours demanding why the exercise was been delayed.
Opposition (CUF) agent, Peter Juma told the paper that it was unfortunate to see hundreds of voters come early at the post only to find that the preparation were not done.
Voters Zawadi Malulu and Abel Kahema of Uvuvi area, Nyamagana constituency said the security situation at Uvuvi AB and C in the region was not good and alleged that the Ward Executive Officer, Joseph Lulami was directing voters how to mark their election forms, an act that is illegal.
Nyamagana Parliamentarian, Ezekiel Wenje said following the irregularities they have written a letter to the City Director, Halfan Hassan Hida to have the election exercise repeated deeming yesterday's elections neither free nor fair.
In some polling stations in Magu District, polling started late because the polling papers were late. Magu District Council Director Naomi Nanko told this paper that there was a problem with the production of the papers.
In Kilimanjaro Region, ‘wananchi' from Mamba Lekura village in Vunjo constituency set ballot papers on fire leading to the indefinite postponing of the elections. Polling stations at Himo junction, Darajani and Mwika central have condemned the indefinite postponing of the elections.
In Moshi town, the elections at Pasua na Kilimani Bar and Bomambuzi, were also postponed to December 21 due to the lack of ballot papers and names of the candidates.
Mayor for Moshi town, Jafari Michael who is also Chairman for Chadema in the area also complained for the lack of the needed special ink.
In Same West, names for 21 candidates for opposition party Chadema reportedly ‘disappeared' leaving the ruling party CCM candidates with no competition.
Similarly, 180 wananchi in Ruvu ward in Same District failed to vote as their names also strangely ‘disappeared.'
Briefing reporters over the weekend, Chief Secretary, Jumanne Sagini in the Prime Minister's Office Regional and Local Government (PMORALG) said more than 500 candidates for local government chairmanship and 2,795 contenders for committee membership have been fielded in the country.
He placed the number of registered voters at 11,000,000 people equivalent to (62) per cent of eligible voters.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
