Tanzanians Vote İn Local Elections

Millions of Tanzanians cast their ballots on Sunday to local government officials.



"I have been lining for about four hours now without getting the chance to vote," Lucy Simon, a high court advocate, told The Anadolu Agency while standing outside a polling station in Sanawari ward of Arusha.



"I am afraid the closing time might caught me still standing here, but am not going to leave until I vote," she said.



According to the 2012 national census, more than 18.5 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots but only 11 million, nearly 62 percent, have registered to vote.



Polling stations opened at 6: 00am local time and will close by 6: 00pm.



Tanzanians are electing 19,200 sub-village and village leaders who are responsible for planning and implementing local development activities in their areas.



They are also responsible for the implementation of the central government's plans and directives within their areas.



More than 57,600 candidates from different political parties are contesting the race.



The vote came after a two-week heightened electioneering.



Local government elections usually come ahead of the general election, scheduled for next year, where councilors, MPs and the president are elected.



-Outcry-



Police had beefed up security on the streets and around the polling stations.



"We have taken high security precautions to make sure no insecurity hinders people from using their right to vote for their leaders," Arusha Police Commander Lebaratus Sabas told AA in a telephone interview.



Opposition parties have accused the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party of trying to affect the race by targeting opposition candidates.



Magdalena Sakaya, Deputy Secretary of the Civic United Front, one of Tanzania's main opposition parties, cited an example where one of her party's candidates in Morogoro region was allegedly arrested on accusation of having lion and buffalo tails.



"These are CCM's dirty games to stop the opposition from winning this election," she claimed.



But the ruling party's secretary for ideology and publicity, Nape Nnauye, denied the accusations.



"They [opposition parties] don't have a strong hold in rural area," he told AA in a phone interview from Dar es Salaam.



"Instead of complaining, the opposition should come up with meaningful strategies to reach the people in those areas," he Nnauye.



The opposition CHDEMA party, for its part, warned against tampering with the vote results.



"Some unfaithful returning officers collude with other people inside and outside the current system to temper with the actual results in favor of the ruling party," its Arusha district secretary Lewis Kopue told AA.



"If the exercise is fairly conducted by those who are voted in being given their right, CHADEMA is going to win 150 seats out of 155 seats in Arusha district," he suggested.



"We are not ready and actually we will not tolerate such things in this election," Kopue threatened.



But the ruling party dismissed the argument.



"We have managed to build schools, dispensaries, roads, water facilities and many other social services across the country," Wilfred Ole Solilel, the CCM Arusha district chairman, told AA.



"So we have something to show to the people," he insisted. "Opposition has done nothing, but complaining."



"We had already recorded victory in some areas where the opposition failed to list candidates," Solilel said. "We are wining these seats unopposed."



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Arusha