Tanzania Holds Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Amid Crackdown on Opposition

Strategic Insights -

Tanzania has opened polls for presidential and parliamentary elections, with over 37 million registered voters casting their ballots. The election commission has disqualified the leading opposition parties, Chadema and ACT-Wazalendo, after they refused to sign an electoral code of conduct and objected to the candidacy of the opposition parties' leaders, respectively. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, 65, is expected to win, given that no strong opposition candidates are running against her. The electoral process has been marred by human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures and activists. UN human rights experts have called on the government to stop the enforced disappearance of political opponents, human rights defenders, and journalists as a tool of repression in the electoral context.

Key Takeaways:

  • The leading opposition parties, Chadema and ACT-Wazalendo, have been disqualified from participating in the elections due to their refusal to sign an electoral code of conduct.
  • President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to win the presidential election, given that no strong opposition candidates are running against her.
  • More than 37 million registered voters will cast their ballots in the presidential and parliamentary elections.
  • The government has been accused of human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures and activists.
  • UN human rights experts have called on the government to stop the enforced disappearance of political opponents, human rights defenders, and journalists as a tool of repression in the electoral context.
  • The electoral commission has vowed to announce the results within three days of election day.
  • The incumbent president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has promised big infrastructure projects and universal health insurance in a bid to win over voters.

Statistics:

  • 37 million registered voters will cast their ballots in the presidential and parliamentary elections.
  • 200 cases of enforced disappearance have been recorded in Tanzania since 2019, according to UN human rights experts.
  • The ruling party, CCM, has dominated national politics since its founding in 1977.
  • The country's economy grew by 5.5 percent last year, according to the World Bank.

Sources:

  • Al Jazeera - "Tanzania elections: Who's standing and what's at stake" (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/29/tanzania-elections-whos-standing-and-whats-at-stake)
  • Al Jazeera - "Tanzania's digital battlefield heats up ahead of election" (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/10/28/tanzanias-digital-battlefield-heats-up-ahead-of-election-2)
  • Al Jazeera - "Tanzanian opposition leader makes defiant appearance at treason trial" (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/19/tanzanian-opposition-leader-makes-defiant-appearance-at-treason-trial)
  • Amnesty International - "Wave of terror in Tanzania: Enforced disappearance, torture, and extrajudicial killings"