CCM urges government leniency on minor nomination paper errors in Tanzania's local elections

Dar es Salaam. The ruling party, Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has appealed to the government to ignore some minor errors in candidates’ nomination forms for local government elections after opposition complained that its aspirants were widely disqualified.

The elections scheduled for November 27, 2024, are now in the nomination stage with the ministry of State in the President’s Office [Regional Administration and Local Government] processing the application forms.

However, opposition party Chadema complained that their aspirants were disqualified by up to 95 percent in some places.

Chadema deputy chairman for mainland, Mr Tundu Lissu, told reporters yesterday in Singida that the planned “elections are already over,” saying most of the party candidates were disqualified from the nomination.

“The truth, as I see it, is that there’s no way to salvage this election,” said Lissu during a press briefing in Singida on Tuesday, November 12.

“Unless we start the entire electoral process afresh, I don’t see a way forward,” he added.

Despite government assurances of free and fair elections, Lissu highlighted that issues raised in both the 2019 local government elections and the 2020 general election are being repeated.

“The disqualification of opposition candidates seen across the country in 2019 is happening again right now,” he said.

He claimed that in Dar es Salaam, over 95 percent of Chadema’s candidates have been disqualified, while in his home constituency of Singida East, more than 500 of the 1,225 candidates fielded have been removed, with further disqualifications continuing.

Regarding the eligibility requirements under local government election regulations, Mr Lissu said that the grounds for disqualification cited do not align with the actual regulations, which include being a Tanzanian citizen over 21, literate in Kiswahili or English, engaged in a livelihood, a resident of the area, a political party member, and of sound mind.

“Allow broader participation.”

Speaking yesterday in Dar es Salaam, CCM secretary general, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, asked the government to tolerate some errors so as to allow a wider participation of the citizens in the elections as candidates.

He said that certain errors, such as mistakes in birth dates, minor spelling issues in names, self-endorsements, or skipping sections on forms, should not automatically disqualify candidates.

“We recognise that the candidates have followed the law, but it’s crucial to remember that our democracy is still young and many people are not entirely familiar with filling out the forms,” said Dr Nchimbi.

He specified that only major errors, such as a man applying for a position reserved for women, should lead to disqualification.

“Mistakes like incorrect birth dates, minor spelling issues in names, self-endorsements, or missing a section on the form should not automatically disqualify a candidate,” he said.

“Our focus is on making this election as inclusive as possible, aligning with CCM’s commitment to fostering broad democratic participation. We urge PO-RALG to focus on disqualifying only the significant issues while overlooking some minor and correctable errors,” he said.

He highlighted that CCM was dominant across the country, suggesting that the ruling party could not sabotage the opposition candidates.

According to him, out of 4,263 local government units, opposition parties have fielded candidates in only 3,259 areas, leaving approximately 1,000 seats uncontested.

Dr Nchimbi said that at the village level, opposition candidates are running in 5,879 out of 12,274 positions and in sub-village elections, they are standing in just 20,000 out of 63,853 available positions.

“It is our party’s philosophy to support a level playing field for all parties and avoid double standards in political processes. This approach strengthens democracy and encourages more Tanzanians to participate,” he said.

“It is in everyone’s best interest that this election promotes national unity, where both winning and losing parties feel a sense of responsibility for building the country during post-election. Our objective is to encourage a democratic atmosphere that fosters healthy political competition and accountability,” he said.

He urged the PO-RALG officials to continue teaching and guiding aspirants in the nomination process, adding that the journey towards a mature democracy will not happen overnight.