Visually impaired Tanzanian citizens to have equal ‘say’ in government formation

The Tanzanian government said on April 18 that plans were afoot to produce tactile ballot papers to enable persons with visual impairment to vote in all elections.

Anthony Mavunde, the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for Parliamentary Affairs, Labor, Employment and Disabled, told parliament that the move was aimed at enhancing democratic rights in the east African nation, Xinhua noted.

Mavunde was responding to a question by a Special Seats Member of Parliament Suzan Mgonukulima who had wanted to know the government's plans to cater for the needs of the disabled during voting. "Is the government ready to prepare special papers for people who are visually impaired to enable them to exercise their constitutional right of voting without help from others who can mislead them?" asked Mgonukulima.

Mavunde told the house in the capital Dodoma that special papers for visually impaired voters were first used in the 2015 presidential elections but the plan was to have such papers in all elections. "During the 2015 general elections, tactile ballot papers for people with visual impairment were used for presidential elections only," said Mavunde, as reported by Xinhua.

Tanzania will hold civic polls later this year, and presidential and parliamentary elections in October 2020.

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