Tanzania has postponed a referendum on a new constitution after delays in registering voters, the electoral body said Thursday. The postponement heightened tensions over the charter, which the main opposition parties have rejected. The delay also could complicate presidential and parliamentary elections due to be held in October. The new constitution would replace one passed in 1977, when the state was under one-party rule. The opposition said it was approved last year without a quorum by an assembly dominated by President Jakaya Kikwete’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power since Tanzania’s independence from Britain in 1961.
The electoral commission said it had not received enough biometric voter registration kits to enable the vote on the constitution to take place as planned on April 30.
“The previously announced referendum … has been postponed until the National Electoral Commission announces a new date,” it said in a statement. “Since the registration of voters has not been completed, the electoral commission will not be able to proceed with the referendum on the new constitution.”
Full Article: Tanzania Delays Referendum on Constitution.
