ACT picks 198 candidates for Bunge, House of Representatives polls

Dar es Salaam. ACT-Wazalendo yesterday named 198 candidates for parliamentary and House of Representatives seats in the October 28 General Election.

The opposition party said the second list comprising names of candidates for the remaining constituencies would be out in the next few days.

ACT secretary-general Ado Shaibu told journalists that the pending constituencies have been reserved due to several key issues, including the party’s decision to push the process back, lodged appeals, complaints and incomplete primaries.

“We are thankful that we have got candidates in all the constituencies; but the most important thing is for us to be satisfied that they have followed the procedures stipulated in the party’s constitution,” he said.

He said the list comprises names of 30 women endorsed for Parliamentary Seats and House of Representatives elections.

“Hopefully, they will compete and win elections in order to increase the number of women in decision-making organs, including Parliament and the House of Representatives,” he said.

According to him, a total of 728 cadres applied to fly the party’s flag in the two legislators the Union and Zanzibar governments.

He said the Peace Committee mandated, the Ethics Committee, Appeals Committee held scrutiny meetings before final endorsements done by the Central Committee (CC) according to Article 79 (1)(xvii) of the constitution.

Notable names of contestants for Mainland Tanzania (with the names of constituencies in brackets) are; party leader Zitto Kabwe (Kigoma Urban); outgoing Ubungo lawmaker Saed Kubenea and Mbarala Maharagande (Segerea).

Others are Selemani Bungara (Kilwa South); Ado Shaibu (Tunduru North); former Special Seats legislator Riziki Mngwali (Mafia); artiste Vitali Maembe (Bagamoyo); advocate Twaha Taslima (Bukoba Rural) and the party’s former communications officer, Suphian Juma (Singida West).

Those endorsed to stand as House of Representatives candidates are Ismail Jussa Ladhu (Malindi); Nassor Ahmed Mazrui (Mwera) and Juma Duni Haji (Mtoni). Journalist Jabir Idrissa Yunus was approved contest for the Pangawe parliamentary seat.

Meanwhile, today CCM is expected to hold a meeting of the secretariat that will be followed by the Security and Ethics Committee slated for tomorrow.

The CC is scheduled for August 20 and August 21, 2020 whose recommendations will be tabled before the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting slated for August 22, this year.

The meetings will scrutinize and come up with names of candidates who will stand in parliamentary and House of Representatives elections and as Special seats candidates in this year’s General Election.

The meetings are expected to be tough for CCM whose primaries in some areas have been reported to be marred with corruption incidents with some aspirants being investigated by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).

The primaries came up with unprecedented results that saw a large number of outgoing MPs trailing in the final lists.

CCM is also expected to give a final verdict to its members who defected from opposition, and were re-elected as parliamentarians and councillors, but suffered a blow during primaries.

It is these meetings that hold the fate of presidential appointees and public servants who quit public service for political positions - but ended up being rejected by their voters.

This could be very tricky for CCM because presidential appointees and public servants received prior warnings from their national chairman, President John Magufuli, and Ideology and Publicity secretary Humphrey Polepole that their decision to quit their jobs over political positions would be a challenge for them.

Categorically speaking, Dr Magufuli warned that their fate would depend on his mood on endorsement day.