Author: KATARE MBASHIRU
AfricaPress-Tanzania: PRIMARY election within ruling CCM kicked off openly on Monday, as the excises seemed to have widely heeded directives by party’s Chairman John Magufuli.
The ruling party started its exercise to nominate candidates, who will vie for Union parliamentary, Zanzibar House of Representatives and councillorship seats in the next election. The exercise is expected to be completed tomorrow.
This scenario demonstrated the deep-rooted intra-party democracy, as illegible members turned out in huge numbers to elect candidates to run for the respective constituencies.
On Monday, CCM Chairman, Dr Magufuli, once again directed that the party primaries should be held openly by ensuring that all aspirants are involved in votes counting.
Dr Magufuli said this procedure, will help the party to get the right candidates, who will represent it in the October General Election.
The incumbent president, who will also be in the presidential race to seek for re-election for the second term in office, gave a directive on Monday immediately after swearing in various leaders he had appointed at the weekend.
“I want to see all votes being counted openly and I believe this will demonstrate our party’s democracy and transparency,’’ he noted, paying tribute to CCM aspirants who are seeking to be nominated as the party’s flag bearers in the next General Election.
According to Dr Magufuli, about 10,367 CCM cadres had picked nomination forms.
However, by Friday last week, which was the deadline for returning nomination forms, only 10,321 aspirants had returned nomination forms, meaning, 46 had decided to drop out of the bruising titanic political battle.
In simple calculations, economically, the party collected enough funds that will boost the much anticipated election campaign.
Aspirants seeking to be nominated to be candidates for parliamentary seats and those to vie for positions of representatives in Zanzibar collected nomination forms at the cost of 100,000/-.
This means, with 10,367 candidates who collected nomination forms, the party managed to boost its account by over 1bn/-.
