State to defend position in Nassari’s loss of seat
The then Arumeru East lawmaker, Mr Joshua Nassari speak at the past event.
What you need to know:
- Decision by Judge Latifa Mansoor comes after court receives three objections from the govt, which was represented by advocates Alisia Mbuya and Masunga Kawahanda
Dodoma. Dodoma Zone High Court yesterday postponed to March 29, 2019 the hearing of a case filed by the then Arumeru East lawmaker, Mr Joshua Nassari, to challenge the Speaker’s decision to strip him of his parliamentary seat after he missed three consecutive parliamentary meetings.
The decision, which was made by Judge Latifa Mansoor, came after the court received three objections from the government, which was represented by advocates Alisia Mbuya and Masunga Kawahanda, against the case filed by Mr Nassari.
Judge Mansoor, who is hearing the case, No. 22 of 2019, said the verdict on the objections, which were however not disclosed, would be made on the set date (March 29).
On March 13, 2019, the office of the National Assembly issued a press release, saying it had written to the chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Judge Semistocles Kaijage, informing him that the Arumeru East constituency was vacant because Mr Nassari no longer qualified to hold the post of Member of Parliament.
However, on March 20, this year, the High Court in Dodoma ordered the suspension of a by-election in Arumeru East Constituency until the case filed by Mr Nassari, who is represented by advocates Hekima Mwasipe and Fred Kalonga, was determined.
The decision by the speaker to fire Mr Nassari is in accordance with section 71 (1) (C) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, which states that a Member of Parliament shall lose his or her seat after missing three consecutive parliamentary sittings without permission from the Speaker.
However, in a quick rejoinder, Mr Nassari said he had communicated to the office of the Speaker the reasons for his absence.
He claimed to have been outside the country where he had accompanied his ailing wife who gave birth two days before Parliament convened on January 29, 2019.
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