Dar es Salaam--Tanzania's electoral commission postponed Thursday a constitutional referendum planned for April 30 after huge delays in registration, officials said.
"We are still updating the permanent voters register. The exercise is very important before holding any elections," National Electoral Commission (NEC) chairman Damian Lubuva told reporters.
"As NEC we find it proper to finish up with the voters register and the rest will follow."
No date was given for when the April 30 referendum may now be held, which was meant to voted on before presidential and general elections in October.
The commission had earlier estimated that about 23 million people in the east African country of 48 million were eligible to vote in the referendum and October elections, for which people register for at the same time.
But the commission said only one of 35 regions had so far started the registration process, due to a lack of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits, with only 250 out of the total 7,750 delivered.
President Jakaya Kikwete has served his two terms in power and cannot run again in October.
The proposed new constitution has sparked angry protests from opposition lawmakers.
In 2011, the government agreed to draft a new constitution, with a team touring the country to collect ideas. But critics say those suggestions were not properly reflected in the draft.
Proposed changes would set limits on how many cabinet ministers the president can appoint and introduce equal representation of men and women in parliament.
It would also grant women equal land ownership rights.
The draft constitution would also impact the autonomous government in Tanzania's Zanzibar archipelago, amid calls by some islanders to end the 50-year union with the mainland.
Last month religious leaders also intervened and called for a suspension of the exercise, citing inadequate preparations and lack of public education.
AFP
