Tanzania - October 2025

On 29 October, Tanzania held general elections for the presidency and the National Assembly. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the presidential race with 97.7 per cent of the vote, following the exclusion earlier in the year of the main opposition parties, Chadema (Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo) and ACT-Wazalendo, leaving her to contest against smaller parties.  Hassan was one of three women candidates among the 17 on the ballot. In parallel parliamentary elections, her ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) won 270 of the 272 directly elected seats, with ACT-Wazalendo securing the remaining two. Voter turnout reached nearly 87.0 per cent, up from the disputed 2020 figure of 50.0 per cent. Women will hold 39.3 per cent of seats in the National Assembly (compared to 36.9 per cent in 2020), including 37 directly elected MPs and 115 women appointed through party lists. The election proceeded amid a nationwide internet shutdown and heightened security presence. Regional observers, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC), raised concerns over incidents of violence, restrictions on media, the exclusion of key opposition candidates, and limited electoral competitiveness.

Sources: Independent National Electoral Commission – Tanzania, Southern African Development Community Electoral Observation Mission, Institute for Security Studies – Africa, Africa Confidential, The New York Times, Reuters, IPU Parline

Widespread protests broke out across Tanzania following the 29 October general elections, with demonstrators clashing with security forces in cities including Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mbeya. Police reportedly used tear gas and live ammunition, and protesters set fire to polling stations and government buildings. The government imposed a nationwide internet blackout and curfew, restricting access to information. The United Nations confirmed at least ten deaths, while the main opposition party, Chadema (Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo), claimed over 700 people were killed, and some activists allege the toll could be higher—though these figures remain unverified. Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, condemned the excessive use of force and called for independent investigations. The protests, described by country experts as unprecedented in scale, reflect rising public anger over repression and the perceived lack of credible political alternatives.

Update: On 11 November, the UN said ‘hundreds’ were killed during the post-election crackdown, while local NGOs and opposition groups alleged thousands; efforts to verify the scale of the violence were complicated by the nationwide internet blackout, which ended on 3 November. From 7 November onwards, authorities charged hundreds with treason before prosecutors later dropped many of the cases at President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s request. On 14 November, Hassan announced a commission of inquiry into the killings—her first conciliatory gesture—though Chadema rejected it as neither independent nor impartial.

Sources: Africa Confidential, The Africa Report, The Conversation, Human Rights Watch, British Broadcasting Corporation, International Crisis Group (1), International Crisis Group (2), Barron’s