Tanzania’s 2025 Elections: Rights Groups Decry Repression and Exclusion.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

As Tanzania heads to the polls on October 29, international rights groups are warning that deepening repression, enforced disappearances, and the disqualification of opposition parties have cast serious doubt on the credibility of the upcoming vote.

With President Samia Suluhu Hassan seeking her first full elected term under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), critics say the process increasingly resembles “electoral authoritarianism” — where dissent is stifled and genuine competition all but erased.

Wave of Crackdowns

Human Rights Watch, in a September 29 report, documented abductions, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on rallies, calling them deliberate tactics to silence government critics.

The Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) has recorded nearly 100 cases of abductions and enforced disappearances since 2015, with a sharp rise in early 2025.

“The authorities need to stop muzzling dissenting voices and engage in meaningful reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections,” said HRW Africa researcher Nomathamsanqa Masiko-Mpaka.

Opposition Locked Out

A pivotal blow to opposition hopes came on April 12, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disqualified Chadema—Tanzania’s largest opposition party—from participating in the 2025 polls and by-elections until 2030. The decision followed Chadema’s refusal to sign the 2025 Election Code of Ethics, which the party called unconstitutional.

Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in May.

(Photo credit: The Citizen)

Party leader Tundu Lissu, who had positioned himself as a presidential contender, was arrested on April 9 during a rally in Mbinga. He faces treason, incitement, and cybercrime charges over a YouTube video alleging vote rigging. His trial continues under heavy security at the High Court in Dar es Salaam.

The crackdown intensified today with the arrest of Chadema Vice Chairman (Mainland) John Heche on October 22 outside the High Court in Dar es Salaam, where he was attending Lissu’s trial. Heche was detained by police and transferred under escort to Tarime in Mara Region to face undisclosed charges, reportedly related to an alleged illegal border crossing into Kenya—a claim Chadema has dismissed as fabricated. This marks Heche’s second detention in a week, following a brief hold on October 18 at the Sirari border while en route to attend Raila Odinga’s funeral in Kenya. The arrests have further galvanized Chadema supporters, who see them as part of a broader effort to dismantle the party’s leadership ahead of the polls.

Abductions, Killings and Intimidation

Amnesty International’s October 19 briefing, “Unopposed, Unchecked, Unjust,” documented cases of enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures. Media critic Maria Sarungi Tsehai was abducted in Nairobi on January 12, blindfolded, and interrogated over her phone passcode by suspected Tanzanian agents. Chadema official Ali Mohamed Kibao was found dead after being abducted in September 2024, while former ambassador Humphrey Hesron Polepole remains missing since early October.

Digital Clampdown Ahead of Polls

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) shut down X (formerly Twitter) nationwide on June 5, citing “pornography,” though observers link it to efforts to curb online criticism. Popular forum JamiiForums was suspended for 90 days in September after posts on alleged ties between President Hassan and a foreign businessman. Journalists report mounting censorship orders from TCRA, fostering widespread self-censorship.

Disputed Electoral Reforms Deepen Distrust

Recent electoral law changes, including renaming the National Electoral Commission to INEC, were meant to boost independence by shifting appointment powers to a Chief Justice–led panel. Yet critics say the reforms remain superficial, leaving the commission under ruling-party influence. Opposition figures argue that legal mechanisms are being used to undermine pluralism, citing the disqualification of Chadema and ACT-Wazalendo’s candidate as clear evidence.

Global Alarm Over Tanzania’s Polls

Freedom House downgraded Tanzania to “Not Free” in 2025, while the Institute for Security Studies warned of “electoral authoritarianism” under CCM’s six-decade rule. The Southern African Development Community and East African Community observers have been denied full accreditation, a regional first.

From Reform Promises to Repression

President Hassan’s early “4R” agenda—reconciliation, resilience, reforms, rebuilding—once raised hopes of liberalization after John Magufuli’s era. But worsening repression and a shrinking civic space have eroded that optimism. Amnesty warns the October 29 elections risk becoming a “procedural exercise devoid of legitimacy.”

As Tanzania nears the polls, arrests like Heche’s underscore how fragile political freedoms have become. For many citizens, this election is less about choosing leaders—and more about defending the right to choose at all.