Tanzania's electoral body officially renamed INEC in new move to enhance transparency of electoral processes
What you need to know:
- The renaming comes in the wake of a recent legislative amendment aimed at reshaping the functions and structure of the electoral authority with the goal of enhancing the efficiency and transparency of electoral processes across the nation.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) will officially transition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) starting Friday, April 12, 2024.
The renaming comes in the wake of a recent legislative amendment aimed at reshaping the functions and structure of the electoral authority with the goal of enhancing the efficiency and transparency of electoral processes across the nation.
The renaming of NEC comes a few days after a bill to amend the National Electoral Commission was approved by the Parliament and subsequently endorsed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The changes also touched on the election of the election of the President, Parliamentarians, and Councillors.
A new bill on Political Parties Affairs was also introduced in the Parliament and were duly endorsed.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan formally signed the bills into law on March 29, 2024, marking the commencement of their implementation.
However, the passage of these laws was met with strong opposition from several opposition political parties, who argued that the amendments fell short of addressing their key demands.
One of the primary demands raised by opposition parties was for civic polls to be supervised by the country's electoral body rather than the President's Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG).
Additionally, they advocated for the inclusion of provisions allowing independent candidates, the right to challenge presidential election results in court, and the prohibition of District Executive Directors (DEDs) from serving as election-returning officers.
But Government Spokesperson Mobhare Matinyi issued a statement on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, confirming the official renaming of NEC to INEC, effective April 12.
The statement emphasized that the name change aligns with the implementation of the newly enacted laws, as published in the Government Gazette at the end of March.
"All media outlets are hereby informed that, following Government Notice No. 225 issued on March 29, 2024, the INEC Act No. 2 of 2024 will officially come into force on April 12, 2024," stated Mr Matinyi.
