Frontier Correspondent
Brussels, Belgium.
The European Parliament has strongly condemned Tanzania’s October 29 general elections, declaring them “neither free nor fair” and accusing the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of orchestrating widespread repression and intimidation in the lead-up to the polls.
In a sharply worded resolution issued in Brussels, lawmakers said the election — in which President Hassan of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) is widely expected to secure a second term — unfolded “in an atmosphere of fear rather than democratic celebration.”
The statement cited systemic harassment of opposition parties, suppression of independent media, and the shrinking of civic space as evidence of a “pre-determined” outcome.
“The fraud did not begin at the ballot box — it has been unfolding for months,” the resolution stated, accusing the Tanzanian government of silencing dissent through arrests, disqualifications, and intimidation.
Opposition groups, particularly the main Chadema party, were effectively sidelined from the race. Dozens of candidates were disqualified, while party leader Tundu Lissu — who finished second in the 2020 presidential contest — was detained and charged with treason in April 2025 after calling for electoral reforms at a rally in southern Tanzania. His trial began on October 6, just weeks before the vote, amid reports of violent crackdowns on supporters outside the courtroom.
The National Electoral Commission, whose members are appointed by the president, subsequently barred Chadema from fielding both presidential and parliamentary candidates, leaving Hassan largely unchallenged by smaller parties.
“No election can be credible when the main opposition is silenced, when freedom of assembly and expression are denied, and when independent media are intimidated and censored,” the Parliament asserted, demanding Lissu’s “immediate and unconditional release.”
The statement echoed earlier calls by the European Parliament in May 2025 and resolutions from the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and UN experts, all condemning Tanzania’s deteriorating human rights record. These bodies have documented over 200 enforced disappearances since 2019 — many linked to election-related repression.
Human rights watchdogs reinforced these concerns. Amnesty International warned that the 2025 elections risked becoming a “procedural exercise devoid of legitimacy,” citing at least 83 disappearances of opposition supporters during the campaign period.
Human Rights Watch described a “wave of terror” under Hassan’s rule, including the abduction of media owner Maria Sarungi Tsehai in January 2025 and the reported torture of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer Agather Atuhaire during Lissu’s trial in May.
The United Nations labelled these actions “electoral repression,” though the Tanzanian government has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the elections were conducted in line with the rule of law.
Adding to the controversy, authorities restricted the accreditation of international observer missions — including those from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) — and imposed partial internet shutdowns on election day. Both moves have been widely interpreted as attempts to curtail transparency.
European lawmakers urged the international community to “stand firm in the defence of democracy and human rights” in Tanzania.
“Silence is not neutrality, it is complicity,” the statement concluded.
With over 37 million registered voters — a 26 percent rise from 2020 — the outcome is expected to cement CCM’s six-decade dominance.
Analysts warn that Tanzania’s democratic credibility has suffered a severe blow, and that the repercussions of this election may reverberate far beyond its borders.