Election officials have been urged to execute their duties with the highest level of professionalism and efficiency to ensure the successful conduct of the upcoming parliamentary by-election in Peramiho Constituency and the councillorship by-election in Shiwinga Ward, scheduled for February 26, 2026.
The call was made by the Vice Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Justice (Rtd) Mbarouk Salim Mbarouk, during the closing of a three-day training programme for election officials in Iringa Region on January 26, 2026.
Justice Mbarouk said the Commission expects the officials to apply the knowledge gained during the training to deliver a credible, transparent and well-managed electoral process, in strict adherence to the election timetable.
“The Commission expects that after this training, you will perform your responsibilities with professionalism, efficiency and integrity to ensure the smooth conduct of the parliamentary by-election in Peramiho and the councillorship election in Shiwinga Ward,” he said.
He stressed the importance of selecting competent and qualified polling station officials, noting that they play a critical role in overseeing voting and vote-counting processes.
“We have confidence that you will recruit capable and qualified polling station officials, as they will be directly responsible for supervising voting and counting votes. This is a sensitive task that requires competence, accuracy and professionalism,” he added.
Justice Mbarouk also called on election administrators to ensure that training for polling station staff is conducted effectively and within the planned schedule, emphasizing that the objective is to strengthen their understanding of their roles and responsibilities during the election period.
He reminded officials that all electoral activities must be guided by the Constitution, electoral laws, regulations, ethical standards and directives issued by the Commission, urging them to familiarize themselves with these legal frameworks to help deliver free, fair and credible elections.
The training brought together Regional Election Coordinators from Songwe and Ruvuma, Election Supervisors, Assistant Election Supervisors at constituency and ward levels, Election Officers, Procurement Officers, and Accountants.
Topics covered during the sessions included the roles and responsibilities of election officials, candidate nomination procedures, electoral ethics and campaign conduct, polling station operations, identification of political party agents, voting and vote-counting procedures, results tabulation and announcement, management of election materials, and financial administration of election funds.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the forthcoming by-elections are conducted in a lawful, transparent and credible manner, reinforcing public trust in Tanzania’s democratic processes.