Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched her re-election campaign Thursday with a dazzling rally in Dar es Salaam, marked by music and spectacle.
Hassan inherited power in March 2021 following the death of John Magufuli and now seeks a direct mandate in October’s vote.
She praised her party’s achievements, promising to expand healthcare, end the practice of hospitals withholding bodies, and initiate constitutional reforms.
She pledged to establish a reconciliation commission and begin drafting a new constitution, though she offered no specifics on either process.
Authorities have meanwhile tightened restrictions on the opposition, drawing rebuke from rights groups and Western governments for stifling political competition.
In April, the main opposition party Chadema was disqualified after leader Tundu Lissu refused participation without sweeping voting reforms.
This week, electoral officials barred Luhaga Mpina of ACT Wazalendo, the third-largest party, claiming he lacked qualifications to contest.
Even Hassan’s own party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has seen dissent. Former diplomat Humphrey Polepole resigned, decrying political abductions and human rights abuses.
At Thursday’s rally, CCM vice-chair Stephen Wasira defended Hassan, arguing critics resisted her because she was a woman in a male-dominated culture.
Supporters appeared divided on the crackdown. Some insisted CCM faced no real threat, claiming victory was inevitable regardless of the disqualifications.
Others regretted the absence of Chadema, noting its role in energising debates and challenging ruling party leaders to sharpen ideas.
As Hassan presses forward, her campaign glitters with promises of reform, yet shadows of exclusion and repression darken the path to October’s polls.
