Isles govt warns against disruptions in voter registration
ZANZIBAR: AS the final registration of new voters for this year’s General Election begins today, the Zanzibar government has reaffirmed its commitment to taking strict legal action against anyone who disrupts the process or causes disturbances at registration centres.
Speaking at a press conference on updating the Permanent Voter’s Register (PVR) ahead of the much-anticipated election, Minister of State in the Office of the Second Vice President (Policy, Coordination and House of Representatives Affairs), Mr Hamza Hassan Juma, said that the government is fully prepared to maintain law and order during the second and final phase of voter registration, scheduled to run from February 1 to March 17 this year.
The minister warned that anyone attempting to prevent eligible citizens from registering or engaging in activities that threaten public peace will face consequences.
“Preventing someone from registering by creating an environment that discourages them from participating is a form of disruption.
The government will not tolerate such actions. Zanzibar remains a land of peace, unity and we will ensure that remains unchanged,” said Minister Juma.
He urged citizens to report any threats to peace to the nearest police station or the Office of the Second Vice-President so that authorities can take immediate action noting that the registration targets new voters as per Section 12 of the Zanzibar Elections Act No 4 of 2018.
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“Eligible voters must be Zanzibari citizens who have reached the age of 18 and must present a Zanzibar Resident Identity Card (ZanID). Other requirements include being a permanent resident of the constituency for at least 36 consecutive months, not being registered in any other voter roll and not being legally disqualified from voting,” he reminded.
