Tanzania’s largest opposition party, Chadema, has been disqualified from taking part in the upcoming general election scheduled for October.
The ban comes just days after its leader, Tundu Lissu, was arrested and charged with treason following a political rally in the southern region of the country.
According to Ramadhani Kailima, the director of elections at the Independent National Elections Commission, the party failed to sign a required code of conduct by the set deadline. This procedural step is necessary for participation in the elections. As a result, Chadema will also be barred from all by-elections until the year 2030.
Lissu, a former presidential candidate and prominent critic of the ruling party, was detained after a public event where he spoke about the need for electoral reforms. He has long argued that Tanzania’s voting system is flawed and favors the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), which has held power since 1977.
The government claims Lissu’s comments were intended to incite unrest and disrupt the electoral process. He remains in custody, with his next court date set for April 24. His legal team insists the treason charges are politically driven and aimed at silencing opposition voices ahead of the election.
Chadema’s refusal to sign the electoral code was part of a broader campaign demanding changes to how elections are managed in the country. The party has been calling for a more independent electoral commission, free from direct appointments by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
President Hassan, who assumed office in 2021 after the death of her predecessor John Magufuli, initially received praise for easing restrictions on political opponents. But recent arrests and reports of abductions have led critics to accuse her administration of backtracking on those promises. The government has rejected these claims and announced investigations into the alleged kidnappings.
Despite the controversy, CCM is widely expected to retain power. The ban on Chadema removes one of the few serious challengers to the ruling party in what many see as a critical test for Tanzania’s democracy.
Tundu Lissu, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017, has been a central figure in the opposition movement. After years in exile, he returned in 2020 to contest elections and again in 2023, following what appeared to be efforts by the current government to open up political space.
Now, with his arrest and his party excluded from the vote, questions are growing over whether the upcoming election will be fair—or whether political competition in Tanzania is being shut down altogether.