Tanzanians head to polls amid human rights concerns and weakened opposition

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzanians will vote Wednesday in an election that pits incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan against opposition candidates from smaller parties after her main rivals were barred from running.

A win for Hassan would extend the lengthy rule of her party, known as Chama cha Mapinduzi, or CCM, a version of which has held power in the East African country since 1961.

Amnesty International criticized the atmosphere around the polls as characterized by fear, citing cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings ahead of the polls. The rights group and others say alleged abuses by the security forces undermine the legitimacy of the election.

Hassan’s main rival, Tundu Lissu of the opposition Chadema party, faces treason charges after he called for electoral reforms and is in jail, while the second-largest opposition party, known as ACT-Wazalendo, had its presidential candidate barred from the presidential race.

Hassan seeks her first proper term in office after completing the term of her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli, who died suddenly in 2021. Sixteen opposition candidates representing smaller parties are on the ballot.

Hassan campaigned under the slogan “Work and Dignity,” promising to expand opportunities in agriculture and livestock farming, Tanzania’s largest economic sector. Her vision is framed around what’s become known as the Four Rs: reconciliation, reforms, rebuilding and resilience.

Tanzania has more than 37 million registered voters — the highest number in the nation’s history, representing a 26% increase from 2020 — but that growth in voter registration is not likely to lead to more people going to voting booths, analysts warn, citing apathy over the appearance that Hassan will cruise to victory unchallenged.

“Tanzania is not having an election but drama,” Martha Karua, a prominent opposition leader in neighboring Kenya, told reporters Tuesday.

The Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. Senate in a statement Tuesday said the arrests and intimidations “undermine Tanzania’s democracy and could result in the least competitive election since the country embraced multi-party politics in 1992.”

Roland Ebole, an Amnesty International analyst, told The Associated Press that Hassan raised hopes early in her presidency with progressive measures such as lifting a ban on the right of opposition groups to hold rallies outside the electoral season. But she has been just as responsible for the government’s turn toward more repression since then, Ebole said.

Simon Mkina, founder of a newspaper in Tanzania, said the election poses a serious threat to the country’s democratic foundations due to the disqualification of major opposition figures.

“International observers may condemn the process, potentially leading to sanctions or diplomatic isolation,” he said. “Domestically, it risks deepening political divisions and unrest, as citizens feel excluded from genuine representation.”

Chadema has called for protests on election day.

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Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.