Jonathan nominated to lead Commonwealth observers in Tanzania election

The Commonwealth of Nations has named former President Goodluck Jonathan to lead a 33-nation observer mission to the Sunday, October 25, 2015 General Election in Tanzania.

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Yahya Simba, who disclosed this in Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital, said that the mission will comprise observers from Africa, Asia, the America, Europe and the Pacific.

Simba maintained that while Jonathan will lead the Commonwealth observer team, former Mozambican President, Armando Guebuza will lead the observer team of the African Union, AU.

“Tanzania is pleased to note that the Post-2015 Development Agenda, inter alia, has taken on board the unfinished business of the MDGs, focusing on trans-formative change, and endeavouring to eradicate poverty in all its forms by 2030,” he stated.

On his part, the UN Resident Coordinator for Tanzania, Alvaro Rodriguez said: “Men and women in Tanzania look forward to peaceful and credible general elections and their voices to be heard on October 25, the date of the elections.

“They view the future with optimism and continue to rely extensively on community radios, local administration, the media fraternity and civil society organisations for information on political events and changes facing the nation.”

“Tanzanians are more aware than ever before about the MDGs and the upcoming transition to the SDGs, while the details of the goals are the targets may be unclear, they know there is a concerted attempt to assists in ending child stunting, ending discrimination and enhancing the overall quality of social services.

 “The 70 years’ anniversary of the United Nations is a call for a reflection on lessons learnt over the decades and focus on how to eradicate extreme poverty in Tanzania and the world at large,” Rodriguez stated.