ZANZIBAR: POLITICAL parties in Zanzibar have been urged to appoint agents who reside in the respective local administrative units (Shehias) during the ongoing second phase of the new voter registration process in order to prevent unnecessary conflicts.
The Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) Director, Mr Thabit Idarous Faina, issued this advice while inspecting the voter registration exercise at several centres in the Unguja Magharibi ‘A’ District. Mr Faina said that the purpose of deploying agents at these centres is to monitor and detect any fraudulent activities during registration, as well as to eliminate confusion about the identification of actual residents of a given Shehia.
He also pointed out that failing to assign local agents undermines the very role of political party representatives at these centres.
“We have already noticed that some agents stationed at registration centres in Unguja Magharibi ‘A’ do not reside in those areas, which is a concern because they cannot accurately identify local residents, leading to misunderstandings,” he said.
Director Faina said that having party agents from the respective Shehias is beneficial as they possess firsthand knowledge of the local political landscape, which in turn enhances good governance.
“Agents have a duty to ensure that people’s rights are upheld and to identify both actual residents and non-residents. If an agent is not from the area, it creates confusion culminating to conflicts,” he added.
He also noted that some individuals have attempted to access voter registration centres without the official identification issued by the commission.
He warned that this is a violation of electoral procedures and urged all parties to follow the proper process, including registering as official election observers. Regarding the progress of registration, Director Faina said that the process in the district has been going smoothly, with strong public turnout.
ALSO READ: Friend political parties praise CCM for continued support, leadership in Africa
Initially, ZEC had estimated that 12,955 new voters would be registered, but by March 2nd this year, the number had reached 13,275, surpassing the target by 2.47 per cent, with expectations for further increases.
Mr Faina further noted that the process is now moving to Unguja Magharibi ‘B’ District and called on all eligible citizens who have not registered to do so, as this is the final phase of voter registration.
The Head of the Masingini School Registration Centre, Mr Amour Abdalla Wadi said that the process has been smooth, with citizens responding positively to the call to exercise their voting rights. He noted that political party representatives present at the centre have been cooperating and respecting each other.
An agent from the Demokrasia Makini Party, Ms Stara Ramadhan Khamis said that the process is well on track, with only minor challenges such as some people having difficulty with fingerprint recognition. However, she said that ZEC officials at the centres have been quick to resolve such issues. Similarly, Ms Salma Salum Juma, an agent from ACT Wazalendo said that the registration process was smooth.
She said that since all agents at their centre are from the Masingini Shehia, it has been easier for them to identify local residents.
