Mtatiro: Establish independent NEC

By Aloyce Mpandana, The Citizen Correspondent

Dar es Salaam. 

The Civic United Front (CUF) has joined Chadema to call for an establishment of a mechanism of reforming the National Electoral Commission (NEC) ahead of the 2015 General Election.

It says that should be done apart from the ongoing process of reviewing the Constitution.

The request comes hard on the heels of a call by Chadema national chairman Freeman Mbowe that it is important for the government to amend the Constitution so as to have an independent electoral commission (IEC) while waiting for the new Constitution.

Both parties have indicated that the new Constitution may not be ready by 2015 as scheduled. To have free and fair elections in 2015, the IEC should be formed.

The CUF deputy secretary general on the Mainland, Mr Julius Mtatiro, told journalists yesterday that since chances of having the new Constitution before the next General Election were slim, it was important to have the  independent commission to conduct the polls democratically and peacefully.

 “The commission has many tasks to do. Its duties include updating the permanent voter registration. So it must have ample time to carry out its task.”

CUF says if the process of having the new constitution is not completed before the next General Election all important areas in the polls must be decided early to avoid disputes.

“We won’t do anything against the government if it doesn’t listen to our request, but if problems occur in the elections it will be responsible for such a situation.  We have simply alerted it that troubles may arise if the new Constitution is not competed as planned,” Mr Mtatiro said.

CUF says it has informed President Jakaya Kikwete on the matter during its visit to the State House to discuss the new Constitutional process but the President’s response was that the Supreme Law would ready before 2025.

Recently NEC chairman Damian Lubuva was quoted as saying people of all walks of life would decide the type of the electoral commission they want in the ongoing collection of people’s views on the Constitutional review.

Source: The Citizen (24/12/2012): http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national-news/27878-mtatiro-establish-independent-nec