Tanzania's main opposition party CHADEMA barred from elections: Video
Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, has been officially disqualified from participating in the country’s upcoming general elections after refusing to sign the mandatory Electoral Code of Conduct, the country’s top election official announced.
“There will be no second chance,” declared Ramadhani Kailima, director of elections at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), during a press briefing in the capital, Dodoma. “Any party that hasn’t signed today will not be allowed to take part in the general election or any other elections for the next five years,” he added.
Kailima added that the Electoral Code of Conduct for 2025 is a non-negotiable requirement, and failure to comply means exclusion from October’s presidential, parliamentary, and local government elections, as well as any by-elections until 2030.
The decision to bar Chadema from the elections further heightens recent tensions in the East African nation.
Chadema, led by opposition figure Tundu Lissu, has accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan of reverting to the heavy-handed tactics of her late predecessor, John Magufuli, under whom political freedoms were curtailed.
Earlier this week, Lissu was arrested and charged with treason, a move his supporters claim is part of efforts to silence opposition voices ahead of the vote. Lissu had previously stated that Chadema would boycott the elections unless key electoral reforms were enacted, citing concerns over transparency, fairness, and the independence of the electoral body.
