Tanzania diaspora not allowed to vote in upcoming elections

People have expressed mixed feelings on the government’s decision to prevent Tanzanians in diaspora from voting in the October General Elections.

Those against the decision said the government was not serious enough in handling the issue, while those supporting it argued that allowing the diaspora to vote would have created loopholes for vote rigging.

The government announced on Monday said that Tanzanians in diaspora would not vote in the General Elections pending review of the 1985 Election Act and the challenges facing voters’ registration through Biometric Voter Register (BVR).

Dr. Bashiru Ally from the University of Dar es Salaam’s Political Science Department blamed the government for its failure to work on the matter when it was first raised saying the issue of eligible Tanzanian voters living in diaspora was raised in 2010 but nothing was ever done about it.