By Beatus Kagashe,

Dar es Salaam, the smallest region in Tanzania Mainland in terms of area, could have 17 MPs after the General Election scheduled for later this year..........

The National Electoral Commission(NEC) said yesterday it was receiving
applications to have constituencies split up, a mandatory exercise that takes place every ten years.

Among the criteria for reviewing constituency boundaries is the population quota under which an MP in an urban area is supposed to serve not more than 237,937 people, while the number for rural areas is 206,130.

According to the 2002 national census, Dar es Salaam���population is about four million, which means that the region, which currently has seven MPs, is supposed to have 17 parliamentarians

The seven constituencies currently making up the region are Ilala, Kawe, Kigamboni, Kinondoni, Temeke, Ubungo and Ukonga.If the population quota is fixed at an average of 220,000, the entire nation, with a population of about 40 million, according to 2002 data, should have 181 constituencies, far less than the current 232 constituencies.

The current parliament has 323 MPs who comfortably fit in the ultramodern debating chamber in Dodoma, whose capacity is 346 legislators, according to the National Assembly Clerk, Dr Thomas Kashilila.However, there are other criteria that are to be considered in the revision of constituency boundaries. Zanzibar, comprising the islands of Unguja and Pemba, would have far less than the current 50 constituencies if population were the sole criterion.

The NEC deputy chairman, Mr Justice Omar Makungu, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the commission had started receiving applications for the revision of constituency boundaries. The deadline for applying
is February 29, 2010, and NEC is expected to have completed the  review by the end of April.

Mr Justice Makungu said the exercise would lead to an increased number of constituencies, adding that applications should be sent to  district executive directors (DEDs), who would forward them to regional
administrative secretaries (RASs).

The RASs would, in turn, submit the applications to regional consultative councils for further scrutiny. Mr Justice Makungu said the procedure was not followed in submitting most of the applications that had been handed in, adding that fresh applications should be submitted.

He said any decision to increase the number of constituencies would take into consideration the capacity of the debating chamber in Dodoma. We are consulting parliament officials to establish how many MPs the current debating chamber can accommodate.

Mr Justice Makungu said the revision of boundaries would be such that no constituency would straddle two different councils. Existing patterns of human settlement would also be considered.

He also said the economic status of different areas would also be evaluated to avoid marginalising some areas. Parity of representation was also of utmost importance and must be considered in the revision of
constituency boundaries, Mr Justice Makungu added.

Another factor was constituency size, he said, adding that data on the sizes of various constituencies would be obtained from the Vice-President���Office.NEC has also taken into consideration various criteria proposed by parliamentarians such as communication, accessibility, geographical position and population density.

Mr Justice Makungu said criteria to be used in exercise were based on studies carried out in various African countries, including Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.

The Constitution empowers NEC to review constituency boundaries every ten years. The revision last took place in 1995.

Meanwhile, the NEC director of elections, Mr Rajabu Kiravu, said this year's elections would cost Sh64 billion compared to Sh61 billion spent in 2005.The increase is attributable to updating of the Permanent Voter
Register... we had to purchase equipment to fulfil this mission as some of the equipment used previously is now obsolete,e said, noting that the procured equipment included cameras and photographic
accessories.

He said that the commission was making the necessary arrangements before announcing a tender for printing of ballot papers for the October General Election. NEC has the mandate to prepare all materials to be used in the elections֍we cannot succumb to pressure from any quarters. We will announce the tender when all arrangements have been finalised,e said, adding that bids would be invited from both local and foreign entities.

He was apparently responding to reports that a decision had been made to acquire the ballots abroad on the grounds that no local company could produce and deliver the materials within the required time. Mr Kiravu added that NEC would also prepare samples of the ballot paper, which would be presented to the company that would win the tender.

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