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Civic elections: Government offers relief to disqualified candidates
The minister of State in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities – PO-RALG), Mohamed Mchengerwa speaks at past event. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The extension gives candidates time to appeal their disqualifications, with some parties calling for stricter accountability for returning officers who are involved in vetting
Dar es Salaam. Amid growing calls for justice, political parties are pushing for the reinstatement of disqualified candidates in the local government elections after the government announced an extension of the vetting time.
The minister of State in the President's Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments), Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa, announced the extension of the vetting time for two days until November 15, to accommodate appeals.
The extension gives candidates time to appeal their disqualifications, with some parties calling for stricter accountability for returning officers who are involved in vetting.
The government’s decision to extend the appeal period and review candidate disqualifications has sparked strong reactions from both political parties and analysts.
Opposition parties on Tuesday claimed that their candidates were “unjustly disqualified” arguing that the election management system remains flawed and politically driven.
The ruling party CCM secretary general, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, also urged the government to ignore minor mistakes in candidates’ applications to allow competition in the elections.
He argued that this would strengthen Tanzania’s democracy by ensuring wider participation, stating that the country’s democratic process was still evolving.
His appeal came amid criticism from the opposition, who contended that a significant number of their candidates were disqualified.
For example, ACT Wazalendo reported that over 51,000 of its candidates were disqualified nationwide, while CUF claimed that more than 48,000 of its candidates were removed from the race. Chadema also raised concerns over the disqualification of nearly half of its candidates, though it did not specify exact figures.
In response, Mr Mchengerwa extended the deadline for district committees to hear and decide on candidate appeals until 15 November, directing the committees to review all disqualified candidates to ensure compliance with election laws.
"I am directing the District Appeals Committees to review the forms of all disqualified/unselected candidates to verify the reasons for their disqualification so that justice can be served by the laws, rules and procedures of the election," he said.
He also instructed election supervisors in local councils to reinstate candidates who were disqualified due to missing endorsements at lower levels, despite receiving support at the ward level.
Analysts, however, have pointed out that the extension and the minister’s intervention underscore deeper issues with Tanzania’s election management system.
A lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania, Dr Revocatus Kabobe, criticised the lack of robust election laws and procedures, suggesting that the government’s involvement in election decisions shows a system that is more influenced by political power than by independent oversight.
“This is not about following the rules. It's about catering to political interests,” said Dr Kabobe.
“If candidates were disqualified according to the rules, there should be no reason to reinstate them. The election system in Tanzania remains fragile and subject to political manipulation, rather than being based on solid laws and procedures,” he said.
University of Dar es Salaam political science lecturer Prof Bakari Mohamed noted that election officials are often aware of the arbitrary nature of disqualification decisions, yet the lack of accountability allows these actions to persist.
He called for reforming election laws and management systems to ensure free and fair elections.
"Returning officers are the ones who know the reasons for disqualifying candidates, but when scrutinised, over 90 percent of the reasons lack substance,” he said.
"To ensure free and fair elections, we must have major changes in the Constitution and election management systems," added Prof Mohamed.
Opposition parties have joined forces in calling for greater transparency and accountability from the government.
ACT Wazalendo’s secretary general Ado Shaibu linked Mr Mchengerwa’s announcement to his party leader Dorothy Semu’s appeal for President Samia Suluhu Hassan to intervene.
“We urge the government to fully implement the directive and ensure that returning officers who have violated regulations are held accountable,” said Shaibu.
Chadema director of protocol, communications, and foreign affairs, Mr John Mrema, called on the ministry to hold election officials accountable for their actions, ensuring that future elections are transparent and just.
CUF deputy secretary general, Ms Magdalena Sakaya expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of Mr Mchengerwa’s directive, questioning the adequacy of the investigation into the disqualification process. “There are many dubious reasons for disqualifications, and the minister should have taken a more careful approach before issuing the directive,” Ms Sakaya said.
Despite these concerns, former Tanganyika Law Society president John Seka encouraged opposition parties to press on with the appeals process, suggesting that many candidates could still be reinstated through the committee’s review.
"The appeal process offers a chance for fairness," Mr Seka remarked. “The disqualification procedure is not clear-cut, and there’s still hope for those who fight for their rightful place in the elections.”
