EAC worried on disputed vote tallying

nngu007 · 2015-10-29T21:39:21+00:00

There is a need for establishment of a mechanism for management of disputes arising from the results of presidential elections,? it said in a report circulated to the media and signed by the headof the EAC Observer Mission, Mr Moody Awori. Mr Awori, a former vice president of Kenya who headed a 55-member team from the Communityto observe the Tanzanian polls criticized the current system under which once declared by theelectoral commission presidential results are not contestable.The report comes amid claims by the Coalition of the Defenders of the Peoples Constitution(Ukawa) that the way the presidential results were being announced by the national ElectoralCommission (NEC) favoured CCM, an allegation the Commission has vehemently refuted. This year?s polls for the Union presidency has turned out to be a two-horse race between CCM?s DrJohn Pombe Magufuli and Ukawa presidential candidate Edward Lowassa, the former primeminister who defected to the opposition recently. The EAC, which deployed 18 teams of observers to various parts of the country, includingZanzibar, was not categorical on what needed to be done on the disputed presidential votes butsuggested the system should be reviewed and changed to benefit all the parties. Disputes on the presidential votes has been the hallmark of controversies surrounding the electionresults in many countries in Africa, including EAC member countries. There are few cases wherethe defeated candidates have accepted the results.The Community team did not respond directly on fraud allegations made by Ukawa leaders as thetallying of the presidential votes was in the final stages yesterday awaiting official announcementof the winner. The Ukawa presidential candidate, Mr Edward Lowassa, was trailing CCM?s JohnMagufuli.EAC recommended to the government in its report released in Dar es Salaam yesterday that theformer should expeditiously restart the constitution review process and subsequent enactment ofrelevant reforms of the institutional framework of the electoral management body. These reforms would entail establishment of an independent election management body with its own staff from national to sub-national structures? the report elaborated. Measures to improve the accuracy of the voter register to minimize disenfranchisement of voters was also underscored as was review of operational planning and logistics for elections so as to ensure the electoral materials are delivered in all polling stations in time. Source: Citizen

Thread starter nngu007
Start date Oct 30, 2015

nngu007

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Oct 30, 2015

jingalao

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EAC worried on disputed vote tallying

nngu007

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jingalao

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