AfricaPress-Tanzania: OCTOBER 28 (Wednesday) is the polling day for Tanzanians in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, thanks for ongoing preparations.
It is the day all eligible voters will exercise their constitutional right to vote for the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Members of Parliament (MPs) and councillors and also for the President of Zanzibar, Members of the House of Representatives and councillors (shehas).
Since the campaigns started two months ago, each candidate vying for a political post has been going to his or her voters to pledge what he or she will do for them if he or she is elected.
All candidates have only today, tomorrow and Tuesday to wind up their campaigns, but it suffices to say that each eligible voter must have made up his or her mind about the person he or she is going to vote for.
As various election stakeholders have consistently appealed for, we want free and fair general election that reflects the will of the people and it is through this that we will get capable and effective leaders.
We are going to vote, having in mind the person who will lead us in the next five years.
Yes, on various occasions various Tanzanians and well-wishers have called for a peaceful electoral process – during campaigns, during the election itself, during the counting and tallying of votes and during the announcement of the winner and even after the election.
We have no better way of stressing this point. The least we can say is that the preparations we have been making must bear on the quality of the general election, and it is an honour for us to hold and participate in the free and fair general election.
We must show that it is possible to hold the general election without resorting to any political violence or chaos.
We say this because we know that political violence or chaos is a characteristic of some African elections so much so that in some countries when the general election is over citizens find themselves internally displaced and in civil or political conflict with each other for the reasons that are hardly justifiable.
In Tanzania, we cannot afford this and for that matter we shouldn’t entertain any breach of the peace for it is costly for us.
So, let all eligible voters exercise their constitutional right of voting or being voted for in the general election and let us do it peacefully and civilly.
After that, we will start in full swing to work hard to develop our nation and make it a better place for us. This is what lies ahead of us.
