Zimpapers Logo

Armando Guebuza

MAPUTO/DAR ES SALAAM. — Former Mozambican President Armando Guebuza is to lead an observer mission of the African Union during general elections in Tanzania this month.

The presidential candidate for the ruling party-Chama Cha Mapinduzi, John Magufuli, is facing fierce competition from Edward Lowassa who is contesting on the ticket of leading opposition party-Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA).

CHADEMA is campaigning on a coalition of three other opposition parties of Civic United Front (CUF), National League for Democracy and NCCR-Mageuzi. The winner of the presidential race will succeed incumbent President Jakaya Kikwete who is completing his two five year leadership terms.

Mozambique’s Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi will also this week launch the observer mission of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the Tanzanian capital Dar-es-Salaam for this month’s general elections.

Mozambique’s state-owned Radio Mozambique reported on Monday that this would be the first time for former President Guebuza to lead an observer mission of elections.

Guebuza was appointed by the chairperson of the AU Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to lead the observer mission. The radio station said that Mozambique was invited by the government of Tanzania to monitor its local, parliamentary and presidential polls to be held on October 25.

Meanwhile, a 55-member group of the East African Community (EAC) Elections Observer Mission is also in Tanzania to observe the coming general election. The EAC Mission is a response to the invitation of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Tanzania as well as the decision of the EAC Council of Ministers Decisions on observation of elections in the partner states.

The Mission’s mandate is to observe the overall electoral environment, pre-election activities, the polling day, the counting and tallying of results.

The Mission, which is being led by Awori Arthur Athansius Moody, former Vice President of Kenya, will first undergo a pre-deployment training from October 19 to 21 in Dar es Salaam before being deployed to the regions.

EAC deputy secretary general in charge of political federation, Charles Njoroge said yesterday that successful and peaceful elections in Tanzania is of paramount importance to the partner states and the region as a whole because lack of peace and stability in any partner state would definitely undermine the outstanding milestones the region has so far achieved through regional integration.

The Mission is expected to prepare a report that would be submitted to, among others, the NEC of Tanzania, through the EAC Council of Ministers for consideration and implementation. The Mission will leave Tanzania on October 29.

In another development, Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Monday released the final list of eligible voters ahead of the elections.

The final list released by NEC Director of Elections, Mr Ramadhani Kailima, showed the number of verified voters stood at 22.7 million.

“We are now inviting political parties to come to our data processing offices anytime to collect soft copies of the permanent voter register as they requested,” he said. Over 23 million out of a population of about 46 million Tanzanians will go to polls on October 25 to elect the president, members of parliament and councillors. — Xinhua.