DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
Vote counting started on Wednesday evening after
Tanzanians went to the polls to elect their local government leaders.
Despite
some complaints of irregularities by the opposition, the exercise was largely
incident-free in various regions.
Wednesday’s
local government elections, which were supervised by the President’s Office
(Regional Administration and Local Government’s), are viewed as a litmus test
for President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration as the country heads to the
General Election next year where Tanzanians will elect councillors, members of
parliament and the president.
In
a number of polling stations, the actual voting exercise started as early as
8am and continued until 4pm.
At that time, those who were already on the queue were allowed
to proceed and cast their votes while those who had not queued up to that time
could not make it.
In
some areas, actual counting in major urban centres started at around 6:00pm and
preliminary results started trickling in by around 8:00pm.
The
turnout was reported to be good in some regions while in Mwanza, rains
disrupted the exercise to some extent.
“Though
there have been some challenges here and there, generally, the turnout has been
quite good,” said the director of training, evaluation and monitoring for the
opposition Chadema for Musoma Municipality, Mr Julius Mwita.
He
spoke to journalists after visiting 35 polling stations in the area.
The
CCM chairman for Musoma District, Benedict Magiri, shared similar sentiments.
“Today,
there was even a police officer standing by to mark the last person to arrive,
signaling that the deadline had passed. Overall, all polling stations were very
busy, much more than in previous elections,” Magiri explained.
In
Dodoma, a clash broke out at the Site One polling station in Mlimwa Street,
Kiwanja cha Ndege ward, when Aisha Madoga, the Chairperson of Chadema in Dodoma
Region, was involved in an altercation with election officials.
The Director of Dodoma City and Election Supervisor Dr Frederick
Sagamiko, revealed that the incident occurred on Wednesday when Madoga arrived
at the polling station with individuals who were not registered residents of
the area but were allowed to vote.
The
incident did not, however, disrupt the voting exercise which continued and
ended peacefully.
In
Kibaha, the chairman of the opposition Chadema for Coast Region, Bumija
Senkondo was detained by the police for over six hours following an incident at
the Mkongoni polling station.
Bumija
recounted that he had received information from Chadema agents stationed at the
polling station, who claimed they had discovered ballot boxes filled with
pre-marked ballots.
After
more than six hours in detention, Bumija and Rogathe Moses were released on
bail, with instructions to report back to the police the following day for
further investigation.
In
Mwanza, the police arrested four individuals, including the Chadema Secretary
for the Nyamagana District Amos Ntobi on charges of attempting to steal a
ballot box from a polling station.
The
Mwanza Regional Police Commander Wilbrod Mutafungwa confirmed the incident but
the opposition party’s Lake Victoria Zone Secretary, Zacharia Obad, denied the
allegations, claiming the party agents had not stolen a ballot box.
“It’s not true. The agents didn’t steal the ballot box. In
fact, they had taken possession of the box, which already contained marked
ballots, and when they called for help, they were turned against and arrested,”
Obad said.
Earlier
in the day, President Samia Suluhu Hassan cast her vote at Sokoine Polling
Station in Chamwino, Dodoma where she used the occasion to urge Tanzanians to
exercise their democratic rights peacefully.
The
elections, held every five years, were conducted across Tanzania Mainland to
elect leaders for 12,333 villages, 4,269 neighbourhoods, and 64,274 hamlets.
President
Samia expressed optimism about the election’s progress, citing improved voter
turnout at her polling station compared to previous years.
She
urged voters to maintain peace and respect throughout the process.
“My
second call is for voters to act safely and respectfully. Any disruptions
to peace are unacceptable. Let us ensure that this election and all
others are conducted harmoniously,” she added.
While
the election was generally peaceful, challenges were reported in several
polling stations.
Many
voters struggled to locate their names in the voter registry, causing delays
and frustration.
At Ilala Boma Polling Station in Dar es Salaam, Ms Erica Jeremiah
expressed her concerns about the arrangement of voter names.
“This
arrangement is confusing. For an elderly person like me, it becomes even
harder,” she said.
Voters
suggested arranging names alphabetically to make the process more efficient.
In
Tabata Segerea, Ms Farida Athumani noted that finding names was time-consuming.
“It
would be much easier if the names were arranged alphabetically,” she said.
Other
voters highlighted delays that discouraged participation.
“The
majority of young people have opted to pursue income-generating activities and
plan to return later to vote,” said Mr Karim Hassan at Juhudi Polling Station
in Mwembe Madafu Neighbourhood, Dar es Salaam.
In
Mbeya Region, Mr Emmanuel Elias reported confusion regarding polling stations.
“I’ve
been here since 7am, but I can’t find my name on the list. The writing is
unclear,” he said.
Geita
Municipality Executive Director Yefred Myenzi explained that names were
displayed as registered to avoid complaints of tampering.
He acknowledged the need to improve organisation in future
elections.
In
Singida Region, the police detained a prison officer in connection with the
death of one person during an altercation between supporters of the ruling CCM
party and the opposition party Chadema.
According
to a statement issued on Wednesday by Singida Regional Police Commander Amon
Kakwale, the incident occurred on the night of November 26 at around 11pm in
the Stendi neighbourhood, Mkwese Ward, in the Manyoni District of Singida.
Mr
Kakwale stated that the violence erupted after CCM supporters, who were
attending an internal meeting at a private house, were ambushed by Chadema
supporters.
The
confrontation took place near a local prison, where prison officers were
alerted about the disturbance.
In
Mwanza, heavy rainfall hindered voter turnout in several areas, with some
citizens reporting difficulty finding their names in the voter registry due to
soaked and damaged papers.
The
rain, which began at 7:30 a.m. shortly before polling stations opened and
continued until 11:30 a.m., has affected various parts of Mwanza.
In
several polling stations across the region, including Nyanza in Mkolani Ward,
Bohari in Butimba, Igombe in Pamba, Nyamarango in Luchelele, and Nyamagana
Stadium, voter turnout was noticeably low, with some stations seeing no voters
at all.
At Kabambo and Kitangiri polling stations in Ilemela District,
complaints were raised by voters who found their names difficult to locate, as
the voter lists were soaked and torn by the rain.
Levin
Alfred, a resident of Kabambo, explained that the wet ballot papers had made it
impossible for him to identify his name.
He
had to queue for further verification in a special register at the polling
station’s desk.
”The
biggest challenge is finding our names. Some people can’t find theirs, and time
is running out, making it difficult to vote. I haven’t seen my name yet, so I’m
going to check the register,” Alfred said.
President
Hassan expressed confidence that Tanzanians would elect capable leaders to
support community development.
The
elections follow the 2019 civic polls, which were boycotted by the opposition
over concerns of alleged irregularities.
This
year’s elections are viewed as a significant step in strengthening grassroots
democracy and fostering social and economic progress.
Election
observers have recommended addressing organisational shortcomings to ensure
smoother future elections, particularly the upcoming General Election.
