The former president of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan has arrived
in Tanzania as the chairman of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to
monitor the October 25 general election in the country.
This Day reports that during his arrival press briefing, Jonathan
called on the Tanzanian National Electoral Commission, political parties
and the civil society is the country to ensure a peaceful and
transparent election.
The ex-president, who was accompanied by other members of the
observer group drawn from different parts of the Commonwealth, noted
that the success of the upcoming elections depends on “every stakeholder
playing their part in a peaceful, inclusive and transparent manner”.
Speaking about the Commonwealth’s observation role, Jonathan said:
“During our time in Tanzania, we will seek to assess the
pre-election environment, polling day activities and the post-election
period, against the backdrop of Tanzania’s national legislation,
regional and international commitments.
“We will perform our observation role with impartiality,
independence and transparency. On Friday, 23 October, members of the
group will deploy in small teams to various provinces across the country
to observe preparations ahead of polling day. On Election Day, they
will observe opening, voting, closing, counting and the results
management process.
“We will issue an interim statement on our preliminary findings
shortly after the elections. A final report will be prepared in
Tanzania. It will be submitted to the secretary-general, and
subsequently shared with relevant stakeholders and the public. The group
is scheduled to depart Tanzania on October 31,” he said.
Jonathan thanked H.E. Kamalesh Sharma, the Commonwealth
secretary-general, for the invitation and noted that it was a great
honour and privilege for him to lead the Commonwealth group to
Tanzania’s general election.
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