Race for Eala seats hots up as parties pick candidates

Dar es Salaam. The race to represent Tanzania in the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) has begun in earnest.

Aspirants from various political parties have picked up forms to vie for the nine slots that will be up for grabs in December.

Yesterday, the ruling CCM began screening its 155 members who have shown interest in contesting the Eala seats.

The opposition ACT-Wazalendo had, in the meantime, nominated two candidates as the party’s flagbearers for the nine seats.

Eala is the legislative organ of the East African Community (EAC) mandated to, among other responsibilities, debate and approve the budget of the regional body.

According to the EAC Treaty, the national assembly of each partner state is required to elect nine aspirants for the regional assembly.

They should not be among sitting members of their respective parliaments, but should represent various political parties represented in the national assembly.

Those elected for nomination to Eala are also required to represent various shades of opinion, gender and other special interest groups in their respective countries.

Also, aspirants for the regional assembly should neither be holding office as a minister nor an office in the service of the EAC.

With the five-year tenure of Fourth Eala that was inaugurated in 2017 ending in December, various countries have started the process of nominating new members.

The two candidates picked by ACT-Wazalendo are Mr Ado Shaibu (Mainland) and Mr Pavu Abdallah from Zanzibar.

Their names and those from other parties will be presented to the National Assembly sitting that is scheduled to begin on September 13.

In Dodoma, CCM began scrutinising the names of dozens of its members who are vying to become regional law makers. The aspirants were required to turn up at the CCM headquarters with their academic credentials, among other requirements.

According to sources within the ruling party, the screening was expected to end yesterday for aspirants from the Mainland.

Aspirants from Zanzibar will be screened by a special party committee which will sit in Zanzibar.

The ACT-Wazalendo nominees are senior officials of the opposition party, and were picked by the party’s Central Committee during its meeting at the weekend.

Mr Shaibu is the party’s secretary-general, while Mr Pavu is the deputy secretary of the Human Rights Department.

Sources said at least 13 members of the opposition party had picked up forms, and were screened on their fluency in English, among others.

On the other hand, CUF, which is one of the oldest opposition parties, has approved the names of 12 of its members to contest the Eala seats.

For Tanzania, the Eala membership arrangement is that at least three of the nine members should come from Zanzibar.

For the six slots from the Mainland, at least two of the elected members should be from opposition parties.

The next Eala will be the largest in terms of members after the recent admission of DR Congo into the hitherto six-nation bloc.

There will be a total of 63 members – nine each from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and DR Congo.