MAYORAL elections which were earlier put on hold in Kinondoni and Ilala municipalities, Dar es Salaam Region are scheduled to take place on Saturday this week, it has been announced.
The Minister of State (Regional
Administration and Local Government), Mr George Simbachawene, last week
directed Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Saidi Meck Sadiki
and Kinondoni and Ilala Municipal Directors to ensure the elections were
held before January 16, this year.
The elections were earlier put off due
to various reasons including court injunctions and misunderstanding
between political parties. Speaking to ‘Daily News’ yesterday in the
city over the phone, the Dar es Salaam RC said he believed that the
polls would be conducted peacefully.
“We assure all rules and regulations of
elections will be observed during the elections in order to build and
promote democracy,” Mr Sadiki said, adding we expect peacefully and
attainable elections.
During a press conference in Dar es
Salaam last week, Mr Simbachawene clarifying on eligible voters said
that MPs including special seat are not allowed to vote outside the
municipalities where they were appointed. The Minister urged MPs to
adhere to the laws towards building and strengthening democracy.
Earlier, the elections were expected to
be conducted on December 10, last year and postponed due to various
reasons including disputes between political parties.
In another development, the Kisutu
Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam on Friday temporally
restrained the Directors of Ilala and Kinondoni Municipal Councils from
conducting elections that were scheduled for Saturday 9th of this month.
The Principal Resident Magistrate
Respicious Mwaijage gave the order after considering an application
lodged by a city resident and a voter in the election, Mr Elius Philemon
Nawera, as applicant who filed the matter under certificate of urgency.
Meanwhile, the Kisutu Resident
Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam is set today to hear the case
involving elections of mayors and their deputies from Ilala and
Kinondoni Municipal Councils.
Principal Resident Magistrate Respicious
Mwijage will preside over the case lodged by Mr Elias Philemon Nawera,
who has described himself as voter of the elections from Kinondoni
Municipal Council.
The elections were scheduled to be held
last Saturday, but could not be conducted because Mr Nawera obtained an
interim injunction, restraining the Directors from the two municipals
from conducting elections.
The magistrate granted the injunctive
order, pending hearing of the application inter-parties, after taking
into consideration of submissions by advocate Augustine Shio that if
such order would not be issued, the entire case regarding the conduct of
the elections would have no value of being entertained by court. In his
affidavit to support the application, Mr Nawera identified himself as a
voter in the elections residing in Kinondoni District.
He stated that there had been a dispute
as to who were eligible voters especially if the National Member of
Parliament residing in Ilala and Kinondoni municipal councils.
According to his affidavit, the
respondents ignored the notice issued to them and all requests to get
proper interpretations of who should be voting and who were not voters
in the said elections for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for the two
municipal councils, which led to eruption of chaos.
“It is in the interest of justice that
this order be granted as the respondents will conduct the elections
thereby breaching the democratic rights of the petitioner if someone is
allowed to vote while he or she is not entitled to vote or if somebody
is barred from voting while he or she is entitled to vote,” he stated
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