Author: FAUSTINE KAPAMA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: PRESIDENTIAL candidates in the forthcoming general elections slated for October 28, 2020, on Friday started knocking doors of the High Court of Tanzania, seeking attestation of nomination forms they previous picked from the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in the capital city of Dodoma.
It was Mr Hashim Rungwe of the opposition Chama cha Ukombozi wa Umma (CHAUMMA) party and his running mate, Mr Mohammed Masoud, who became the first to appear before Judge Seif Kulita, who has been designated to administer the process.
He was followed by Mr Tundu Lissu of Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), who was also accompanied by his running mate, Mr Salum Mwalimu.
Later in the afternoon, Mr Jeremiah Maganja of National Convention for Construction and Reform – Mageuzi (NCCR-Mageuzi) and his running mate, Mr Haji Khamis Ambari, also appeared before the judge for the same purpose.
“The next stop is Dodoma,” Mr Lissu remarked before members of the press who gathered at the High Court in Dar es Salaam immediately after completing the attestation process.
According to him, he has visited all regions, except six all over the country in both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar to collect endorsement signatures of sponsors for the presidential race as required under the National Election Act, saying he got thousands of them.
“The law requires us to send at least 200 sponsors from 10 regions of Tanzania and two of the 10 regions must be from Tanzania Zanzibar. The regions we have not visited are about six in the whole country. Everywhere we have found sponsors in thousands,” he said.
He further explained that they sought for attestation of the forms as part of completing the nomination process.
The NEC has already announced August 25, 2020 as the D-day for nomination of the presidential candidates upon fulfilling all the required procedure as enshrined under the law.
The election campaign will start on August 26, 2020 and end on October 27, 2020, a day before the elections.
According to the national electoral body, 29,188,347 Tanzanians have registered to vote in this year’s elections, while 80,155 polling stations have been set for the process.
A total of 16 presidential aspirants from different political parties have picked up nomination forms from the NEC.
Other aspirants with their respective parties in brackets are Mr Seif Maalim Seif (AAFP), Mr Philipo Fumbo (DP), Mr Leopold Mahona (NRA), Dr John Magufuli (CCM), Mr Muttamwega Mgaywa (SAU), Ms Queen Sendiga (ADC), Mr Twalib Kadege (UPDP) and Mr Bernard Membe (ACT-Wazalendo).
Others are Ms Cecilia Mmanga (Demokrasia Makini), Mr Khalfan Mazrui (UMD), Mr David Mwaijojele (CCK), Prof Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF) and Mr John Shibuda (ADA-Tadea).
If all 16 aspirants are approved by NEC, the numbers of candidates on the presidential ballot this year will double the number of candidates who contested the presidency in the 2015 general election.
In 2010, there were seven candidates, while ten aspirants vied for the presidency in 2005.
Only four candidates were on the ballot in 2000, the same number as in 1995 when Tanzanians voted in the country’s first multiparty general election after the restoration of political pluralism three years earlier.
