Tanzania’s local government elections on Sunday (December 14th) were marred by irregularities that left many unable to vote, Tanzania’s The Citizen reported. Lack or shortage of voting materials as well as the mixing up of the names of candidates and voters forced many returning officers to call off the election at some polling centres. No region was unaffected, with chaos in some areas prompting intervention by police. Police fired tear gas to disperse angry voters at a number of centres and arrested party officials, candidates and voters who were accused of violating electoral rules.
The Prime Minister’s Office blamed district councils, noting they were responsible for most of the preparations, including distribution of voting materials and printing of ballot papers.
Local government elections national co-ordinator Dennis Bandisa said the polls were marred by irregularities due to local authorities’ failure to complete preparations in time.
Full Article: allAfrica.com: Tanzanian Elections Marred By Irregularities.
