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NEC, ZEC must act on complaints by all political parties
2005-08-15 07:48:21
By Editor
Last week, two opposition parties, the Civic United Front and Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), took a swipe at the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) for not taking steps to correct anomalies in the permanent voter registers.
Among other things, the two parties, especially CUF, cited the presence in the register of ineligible voters and the failure by the two electoral bodies to allow voters sufficient access to the data in the document to correct whatever may have been entered wrongly in the books.
CUF is upset that NEC and ZEC have not taken steps to purge the registers of double registrations. Chadema’s lament is that NEC flouted its own regulations by allowing parties to embark on premature campaigns.
Subsequently, it declined to endorse the code of conduct all parties must adhere to, which was released by the commission last week.
What is so intriguing is the two electoral bodies’ apparent silence on the grievances. Elections, especially where the actors espouse, as divergent views as the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the opposition parties, are sensitive to the sort of impassivity NEC and ZEC have shown. Such impassivity is a sure recipe for protracted poll disputes, and in some cases mayhem, as was witnessed in the last general election.
Silence or the reluctance by the commissions to respond to accusations by political parties, points to complicity – albeit inadvertent – in poll irregularities such as the ones the opposition fears could be used to weaken their bid for a better showing in the October 30 polls.
Such are the dangers that lurk in NEC and ZEC’s attempts to bury their heads in the sand even as the situation threatens to get out of hand, especially in Zanzibar.
Granted, the two commissions must maintain delicate balance between the wishes of the electorate and the whims of the political parties.
While the electorate looks to fair and free elections, political parties are motivated by the desire to win, irrespective of how that victory comes.
Voters want to take part in peaceful polls; they want to choose leaders they think will deliver them from their present state of impoverishment and provide a launching pad for a prosperous future.
However, these dreams could come a cropper if it turns out that the playing field is not level and that the electoral bodies failed to avert potential controversy in the run up to the elections.
Poll violence in Zanzibar is what this country needs least, especially at this point in time when hopes are high that the next government will deliver the country to the ’Promised Land’ of economic prosperity.
It is for this reason that the electoral bodies must, of necessity, act on claims by all political parties.
NEC and ZEC must come clean on allegations that the numbers of voters they recently announced are higher than the ones tallied when the curtains came to on voter registration on the Isles and the Mainland in May.
The electorate would also be interested in knowing the validity of the claims that eligible voters were disenfranchised to give the ruling party advantage in opposition strongholds.
The country would also be inclined to know the veracity of the claims that registered voters were not given adequate time to correct their names in the register.
The timidity of the two commissions is a source of concern not only to the country, but also to the international community who will play the fringe role of observers in the elections.
The commissions should therefore live up to their role as impartial players in the election process by providing an ideal forum for the electorate to deliver their verdict on the policies (and individuals who will execute them) that they think will lift the country out of its present socio-economic status.
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