ABOUT 24 MILLION TANZANIANS ARE EXPECTED TO VOTE IN OCTOBER 2015.

        24 million Tanzanians are expected to cast votes in the coming general elections in October, with Dar es Salaam Region having the highest number of voters, according to estimates by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Based on the adjusted national population census for 2015, the NBS report released here over the weekend predicts that 24,252,927 voters will be choosing their leaders countrywide.

The total country population by the end of October is estimated at 48,522,230.

           According to the report, signed by the NBS Director General Albina Chuwa, and her Zanzibar counterpart, Mr Mohammed Hafidh Rajab, the Mainland, with an estimated population of 47.1 million, is expected to have 23.5 million voters while the isles, with a 1.41 million population, will field 720,000 voters.

       Dar es Salaam Region, with eight electoral constituencies, is projected to have 4.71 million people in the four months’ time -- and 2.93 million voters -- topping the country’s tally in the number of voters in the regions.

       Mbeya Region, which has 11 constituencies, is expected to have 1.5 million voters out of its projected October population of 2.92 million people, becoming second after Dar, while Mwanza Region, which has nine constituencies, comes third with 1.40 million estimated voters from the 3.0 million people estimate.

         It is being estimated that Morogoro, in the fourth position, and with a population of 2.30 million by next October, will field an average of 1.30 million voters from its 10 constituencies.

         Kagera Region, with a higher population figure at 2.60 million, is on the other hand going to have 1.210 voters in its combined nine electoral constituencies, thus tallying in the 5th position.

         Tabora, with a total of nine constituencies, is expected to have 1.12 million people voting in the next October polls.

        The region will by then have a projected population of 2.50 million, way ahead of Tanga (population 2.2 million), which like Mbeya has the highest number of constituencies (11) but like Tabora, it is also going to have 1.12 million voters.

     Dodoma, also with nine constituencies, may have higher population (2.30 million) compared to Tanga, but will have less voters at around 1.0 million.

       This will close the list of eight regions that are expected to have sixfigure number of voters. Kilimanjaro ranks 9th in the list of regions with the highest number of voters – at an estimated 976,000 people who will cast votes from its nine constituencies next October.

       Kilimanjaro will by then have a population of 1.80 million. Arusha Region, with seven electoral constituencies is closing the top-ten with an estimated 944,000 voters for next October polls. Arusha will have a population of 1.83 million by the end of this year.

        The rest of the regions have their total numbers of voters as follows: Mara (834,000), Geita (808,000), Ruvuma (783,000), Mtwara (773,000), Shinyanga (762), Manyara (741,000), Simiyu (714,000), Singida, (698,000), Pwani (644,000), Iringa (524,000), Rukwa (472,000) and Njombe (393,000).

      Katavi, which according to NBS is expected to have a population of 609,000 by next October, is going to be the Mainland region estimated to have the lowest number of voters at just 271,000.

          In Zanzibar, Urban West Region, with a population of 642,000 by next October, will have 347,000 voters; North Unguja Region with estimated population of 203,000 is going to have 104,000 voters while North Pemba Region, with 229,000 people by October 2015, is likely going to have 103,000 voters in the elections.

      Tagging last is South Pemba Region with a population of 211,000 and expected to have 95,000 voters, while South Unguja Region, which has an estimated 125,000 population, will have 69,000 voters in October.