During the commemoration of Human Rights Day on December 10, 2024, the embassies of Ireland, Norway, and Sweden expressed concern over developments before and during the local elections held on November 27, 2024. The ruling party, CCM, won 99.1 percent of the seats in these elections.
The three embassies were among the stakeholders invited to the commemoration event and the launch of the five-year strategic plan of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), held at the Hyatt Hotel in Dar es Salaam.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s introduction of the 4Rs—Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms, and Rebuilding—represents a commitment to advancing human rights for its citizens,” said Ambassador Charlotta Ozaki Macias of Sweden, who delivered the speech on behalf of the three development partners.
“Implementing this policy would lead to a more inclusive and democratic political system, embracing peaceful, constructive conversations to engage citizens, sustainable development, and economic growth, including a conducive environment for investments. We strongly support this,” Ambassador Macias continued.
While the opposition parties have disputed the election, citing irregularities, violence, and electoral fraud, the ruling party and the Minister at the President’s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG), Mohamed Mchengerwa, asserted that the elections were conducted smoothly across the country.
The three ambassadors expressed optimism that addressing the challenges observed would pave the way for peaceful general elections in 2025.
“We are, though, concerned about recent credible reports, before and during the local elections, of irregularities, disappearances, and violence against citizens and active politicians. We support demands for transparent, independent investigations into these claims,” said Ambassador Macias. She added: “And we remain hopeful that addressing the challenges at hand will set the stage for peaceful, free, and fair elections in 2025.”
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Sweden is one of Tanzania’s largest donors. According to Tanzania’s Ministry of Finance reports, Sweden contributed TZS 142 billion as a grant in the financial year 2019/20, making it the third-largest donor after the EU and the Global Fund. In 2020/21, Sweden contributed TZS 290.3 billion, becoming the second-largest donor after the IDA-World Bank.
Norway provided a TZS 70.4 billion grant in 2020/21, making it the fourth-largest donor to Tanzania during that period. Ireland is known for supporting major nutrition programs; in the same financial year, it provided a TZS 19.2 billion grant, ranking as the ninth-largest donor in the country.
The Tanzania Investment Report (2023) listed Norway as one of the countries with the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock in Tanzania. Norwegian companies had investments worth USD 3.22 billion in Tanzania in 2022, which increased to USD 3.23 billion in 2023.
The Nordic countries are considered longstanding allies of Tanzania and were among the nations that supported Tanzania’s social programs during the challenging years following the Arusha Declaration.
Speaking at the event, Anna Henga, the Executive Director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre, noted that the elections were generally peaceful but emphasized the need to address documented irregularities.
“While the election was largely peaceful, LHRC has documented complaints about electoral irregularities that need to be addressed promptly to ensure a fair and transparent General Election in 2025. We also call for improvements to electoral laws and policies to better support the political participation of women and marginalized groups in future democratic processes,” said Henga.
Tanzania is set to hold its general election in 2025, which will be the country’s sixth since the reintroduction of multiparty elections.
