Stakeholders oppose involvement of soldiers in polls

Dar es Salaam. Opposition politicians and independent commentators yesterday criticised President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s directive to the military to be ready for potential challenges during the upcoming elections.

During the seventh meeting between the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and army commanders in Dar es Salaam, President Hassan said that since elections involved many parties with different intentions, it was only sensible for the military to remain vigilant.

“We will start off with local government elections this year, but since elections involve many parties that have different intentions, we are not sure if everything will go according to plan. I now ask the TPDF (the Tanzania People’s Defence Force), through your various commands, to prepare for any eventuality,” she said.

The Head of State, however, hastened to say that his remarks do not mean that the elections will indeed be chaotic, noting that it was during election time that the need to foster security became even more important.

“All the procedures, laws, and guidelines governing elections will be followed, but the TPDF and other security organs must be ready to face any challenge that may arise.”

Tanzania will hold local government elections later this year to elect leaders at the grassroots level before embarking on the 2025 General Election to elect the President, MPs and councillors.

President Hassan said the General Election could pose more challenges and the military must be ready to deal with it.

But opposition politicians reacted swiftly. Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, ACT-Wazalendo secretary general Ado Shaibu said elections are held in accordance with the country’s constitution and laws, with the police mandated to ensure general security in poll stations.

“The tradition of involving the TPDF in political activities should be discouraged. The TPDF should be left to maintain security at the country's borders,” he said.

“If the President’s statement meant to alert the army or make it ready in case the police were overwhelmed, that can be understood. But there are no circumstances that would require deploying the army to the streets,” he added.

The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) political science lecturer, Dr Richard Mbunda, said elections are civic issues whose security should be coordinated by the police, who have the mandate to maintain the security of citizens and their properties.

“The TPDF is not authorised to uphold security during elections. The President’s statement can be misinterpreted and confuse citizens,” he said.

Professor Mbunda said if the mere presence of the police at polling booths raises concerns, as it may potentially intimidate or deter certain voters, the involvement of the army would worsen the situation in the forthcoming elections.

Chadema secretary general John Mnyika said TPDF should only be used in rare cases to oversee the security of ballot boxes after a request from the National Electoral Commission (NEC).

“The President wasn’t supposed to issue such directives in public because they raise doubts over secret instructions directed to the army, especially at this critical moment when the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner has asked the army to participate in the cleanliness exercise on the day the Chadema has called for peaceful demonstrations,” he said.

“The President should not involve the army in civilian issues such as elections. And in fact, that is the reason why Chadema has been advocating for an independent electoral commission that would be responsible for making its own security arrangements during elections,” he added.

Mnyika said the President was supposed to end with reminding the army to efficiently fulfil its obligation to protect the country against foreign aggression.

Mnyika called on the CDF and army commanders to abstain from involvement in political issues and advised the government to make major political reforms that will enable the country to hold free, fair and credible elections.