Tanzania’s electoral body announced Saturday that general elections will be held on October 29, despite the main opposition party facing disqualification and its leader being jailed.
The East African nation prepares to go to the polls to elect its president, parliament, and ward councillors, with official candidate nominations scheduled between August 9 and 27.
Independent National Electoral Commission chairman Jacobs Mwambegele urged all stakeholders to participate in the election and diligently adhere to all relevant laws and regulations.
The chairman made this important announcement during a crucial meeting of various political figures convened in the country’s capital city of Dodoma.
A significant total of 37.65 million Tanzanians have officially registered to vote in the upcoming polls, reflecting broad civic participation despite the political climate.
Elections were anticipated this October, following the last national vote conducted in 2020, maintaining the established five-year electoral cycle for the nation.
However, the election commission controversially disqualified the main opposition party, Chadema, earlier this year for refusing to sign an electoral code of conduct without proposed reforms.
Its prominent leader, Tundu Lissu, was subsequently jailed in April and currently faces an ongoing trial for treason, a serious charge carrying a potential death penalty.
Chadema has consistently accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government of systematically repressing dissent, including grave allegations of murdering and kidnapping opposition figures.
The opposition party also claims that substantial numbers of their candidates were unjustly barred from participating in previous electoral contests, undermining democratic fairness.
