AfricaPress-Tanzania: MORE than 25 million people are expected to participate in the forthcoming general election which will take part on 28th October this year across the country.
National Election Commission’s Acting Director of Information and Voter’s Education Department, Ms Monica Mnanka made the statement in Kibaha Town during Election Stakeholders meeting which identified a total of 29, 188, 347 voters who had been registered for the coming general elections, where 29, 059,507 are from the Mainland and 128, 840 have been registered in Zanzibar.
Out of those registered, women are 14, 691, 743, equivalent to 50.33 per cent, while men are 14, 496, 604, equivalent to 49.67 per cent, and youth between 18 to 35 years are 15, 650, 998.
She added that there were a total of 13, 211 disabled persons who have been registered for the exercise.
“NEC is proceeding well with all preparations for the coming elections. Our main focus has been on ensuring that the election is being conducted in a fair and peaceful manner all over the country and the Isles as well,” she said.
Ms Mnanka said that in this election, people with disabilities, including the blind will be assisted to vote without any difficulties in their respective areas.
She added that voter’s education sessions have been conducted all over the country, and to facilitate this, NEC has issued licences to a total of 245 civil society organizations in the Mainland and seven civil organizations in Zanzibar to enable them conduct voter education and reach a larger population as much as possible.
The ag. Director noted that NEC will use a total of 80, 155 voting centers, whereby 79, 670 will be in the Mainland and 485 will be in the Isles, adding that each center will have not more than 500 voters.
On the other hand, she explained that there will be a total of 264 election constituencies, where 214 are in the Mainland and 50 in Zanzibar, while the total number of wards which will take part in this elections are 3,956.
For his part, Representative of Elections Director, Mr. Hamud Mwanga emphasized that the Commission is working hard to ensure that preparations for the coming elections are completed on time as planned.
Religious leaders who were present at the meeting on the other hand insisted on the importance of maintaining peace during this time when all parties are continuing with campaigns as well as during the voting exercise and even after elections.
The meeting was attended by Coast region election Supervisors, Kibaha Town District Executive Director (DED), Ms. Jennifer Omollo, representatives from disabled organizations, prominent elders, religious leaders, civil society organizations, women and youth groups and representatives from security forces.
