Author: DEOGRATIUS KAMAGI
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE National Electoral Commission (NEC) has started to dispatch to all councils some of the tools and equipment to be used in the upcoming 2020 General Election due October 28, this year.
The move is aimed at ensuring all needed equipment are supplied to all parts of the country on time, to avoid unnecessary inconveniences that may be caused by the delay of the tools.
NEC’s Assistant Director of Voter education and Public Information, Dr Cosmas Mwaisobwa made the statement yesterday during a special election training for Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN) staff.
He said the commission is making all necessary preparations to ensure the election is conducted as planned, and insisted that all needed equipment and tools will be ready on time.
A 31.7bn/- budget has been allocated to cover the costs of the October polls, in accordance with Section 122 of the National Election Act.
Dr Mwaisobwa explained that the NEC was continuing to procure various equipment and tools and that a total of 25 tenders that involve different materials had already been advertised; and some tools had already been received.
According to Dr Mwaisobwa 7,326,552 new voters have been registered ahead of the October elections, while 3,548,846 voters have updated their information. 30,487 voters were struck out as they no longer qualified.
A total of 29,188,347 voters have been registered by the NEC. There would be 80,155 polling stations, with each station set to cater for not more than 500 voters.
The electoral commission has already issued licences to 252 civil society organisations, of which seven are from the Isles (Zanzibar), to provide voter education.
“Providing public education is yet another important area to be considered before polling and in this case, the commission is well prepared to educate the public on the exercise through all media platforms including traditional and social media, as well as various publications,” noted Dr Mwaisobwa.
Speaking during the one-day workshop, the commission’s Assistant Director for Legal Services, Tumaini Mfikwa reminded voters to observe all rules and regulations, before, during and after the polling exercise.
“This will ease the process and avoid inconvenience that might come out during or after polling, ensuring that all returning officers and their assistants are well trained to handle the exercise fairly,” she stated.
