AfricaPress-Tanzania: ZANZIBAR Electoral Commission (ZEC) has received the consignment of ballot papers for presidential, House of Representatives, and Councillors’ election scheduled for October 28th, this year.
ZEC Director, Mr Thabit Idarous Faina said security officers from the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces (TPDF) will guard the warehouse, where the ballots are being stored.
Addressing journalists shortly after the arrival of the consignment, ZEC director, Mr Faina said that the ballot papers were printed by the ‘Zanzibar Government Printing Press Agency (ZGPA)’ which emerged the winner among applicants in a bid for the work under the ‘restricted tenders’ procedure.
He said the special tendering procedure is backed by ‘Zanzibar Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act No. 11, section 71 (3) (b) of 2016.
Mr Faina said three companies had applied for the printing of the ballots papers naming them as Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing – Plant and Equipment List (Dubai); Unit Ado Hirt and Carte (South Africa) pty LTD and the ZGPA, which won the tender.
He said that the consignment is being kept under very tight security provided by TPDF at a warehouse at Kikwajuni Street, till they will be dispatched to various areas in both Unguja and Pemba Island.
According to Mr Faina the entire printing exercise of ballot papers has cost 879,930,000/- and that the election budget for this year’s elections is 1.5bn/-, adding: “We ask people to get prepared for the election peacefully.
