National Electoral Commission clarifies election voter IDs

Dar es Salaam. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has stepped in to clear confusion surrounding the ongoing voter registration, stressing the NEC-issued voter identification cards would not be used in the civic elections slated for November.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the NEC director for elections, Dr Wilson Mahera, said the ongoing registration of voters, which started on October 8, was about civic polls, which will be held on November 24, and will not be supervised by NEC. “NEC would like to inform members of the public that the registration of voters started from October 8 under the supervision of the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government) through different councils across the country and anybody who will not register will certainly be ineligible ,” said Dr Mahera. He urged members of the public to turn up in big numbers to register.

Dr Mahera said NEC, according to article 74 (6) of the 1977 Constitution of Tanzania, has the obligation of registering voters for electing president and legislators.

MPs of the United Republic of Tanzania including councilors of Mainland Tanzania.

“The registration of voters (under the President’s Office) is quite different from the improvement of the biometric voter register under NEC. The improvement is about the general election of president, MPs of the United Republic of Tanzania and councillors of Mainland Tanzania in 2020,” he clarified.

He explained that improving the biometric voter register was ongoing in the regions of Tabora and Katavi without forgetting Uvinza District Council in Kigoma Region, where it would be conducted from October 14 to 20 October, this year.

He added that the exercise would also be conducted in Songwe, Dodoma and Singida regions from October 26 to November 1, 2019.