Another civic by-election is likely to take place here sometime in September when residents of Sombetini ward in Arusha city get to vote for their representative.
The NEC Chairman, Justice (rtd) Damian Lubuva
The ward was being represented by Mr Alphonce Chemu Mawazo, formerly with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), but who recently ditched it and jumped on the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo bandwagon.
The chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Judge Damian Lubuva, who was in Arusha to supervise the just-ended by-elections, stated that his office was yet to get an official letter from the Arusha City Council declaring the Sombetini ward seat vacant, but now he was going to address the situation.
According to the NEC chairman, if all goes well, the city may be compelled to conduct another election sometime in September to fill the Sombetini ward vacuum.
Judge Lubuva had jetted into Arusha to supervise byelections in the four wards of Kaloleni, Themi, Kimandolu and Elerai, all of which were worn by Chadema by over 60 per cent of the total votes cast last Sunday.
Eng. Jeremiah Mpinga emerged the winner for Elerai, while in Kaloleni, Mr Emmanuel Kessy was declared the winner; Mr Melance Kinabo scooped victory in Themi- Hills and Pastor Rayson Elshadai Ngowi was named the victor in Kimandolu.
All of these were candidates who were vying on the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo ticket. It is now left for Sombetini ward to get its own representative on the city council.
If Mr Mawazo runs again, he will set a record for being a councillor who represented the ward on three different party tickets. He first won the seat on a Tanzania Labour Party ticket, which he later ditched and joined CCM, before running again and winning in 2008 with repeated success in 2010, but early this year he defected to Chadema.
By MARC NKWAME, Tanzania Daily News
