THE government has assured international election observers of maximum cooperation during and after the much-awaited Sunday’s general election to enable them carryout their duty freely and effectively.
The assurance was sounded in Dar es Salaam yesterday by the Minister for East African Cooperation, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, insisting that their role in ensuring free and fair election was paramount.
a speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the ministry, Ms Joyce Mapunjo, during a ceremony to launch the East African Community (EAC) Election Observation Mission, Dr Mwakyembe called on observers to extend penetration to rural areas to get a wider picture of how the country carries out election.
“The government will make sure your duty here is well accomplished, we will give necessary assistance needed,” Dr Mwakyembe said, adding that their presence during elections was a right move to ensure democratic and peaceful power transfer.
The EAC Deputy Secretary General (Political Federation), Mr Charles Njoroge, said the mission is composed of 55 members selected from all EAC Partner States except from Tanzania, saying the members had been drawn from different but complementary disciplines.
“The mission’s mandate is to observe all aspects of the electoral process and assess whether the elections are conducted according to the standards for the democratic elections to which the country has committed itself,” he explained.
Mr Njoroge pointed out that after the election; the team is expected to make recommendations for future strengthening of the electoral processes and enhancing the capacity of Electoral Management Bodies in the region.
“The mission will present its report to the EAC Policy organs where the findings will be considered by the Council and be submitted to the government, National Electoral Commission (NEC) and to other political players for the implementation of the recommendations,” he said.
Mr Njoroge said that the mission will assess the electoral process based on Tanzania’s national legal framework and its obligations for democratic elections, adding that the observers will attend political campaigns and evaluate media coverage.
“The mission will meet and consult with representatives from relevant authorities and political parties as well as candidates and with representatives from civil society, the media and the international community,” he said.
In his remarks, the Head of the EAC Election Observer Mission to Tanzania, Mr Moody Awori, who is former Kenyan Vice-President, noted that the purpose of the mission was to observe if democracy prevails during the general election. “We’re not here as supervisors but rather as election observers. Our role is just to observe not to intervene in the general election,” said Mr Awori.
Culled from Daily News
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