Dar es Salaam. The intraparty elections within CHADEMA, Tanzania’s main opposition party, officially concluded on January 22, 2025, marking the end of nearly two months of intense campaigns that pitted senior party leaders and their respective factions against each other.
The elections ended with Tundu Lissu, a firebrand opposition politician, defeating Freeman Mbowe, ending the latter’s two-decade rule, during which CHADEMA witnessed exponential growth and became the leading opposition party in Tanzania.
Before being elected the new party chairperson, Lissu, 57, served as CHADEMA’s deputy chairperson (Tanzania Mainland).
The Chanzo thoroughly covered the elections, which attracted massive public attention. Throughout the process, we observed several things that have long-term implications for democracy, not only for CHADEMA as a political party but also for Tanzania as a country.
Orderliness
Perhaps the most prominent feature of the elections was their orderliness, with everything happening just as planned. Despite the war of words between Mr Mbowe and Mr Lissu, with their respective factions going teeth to teeth, especially on social media, the general mood on the ground, where elections were happening, was tellingly that of calmness, coordination and organisation.
During the elections for leaders of CHADEMA’s elders’ council (BAZECHA), youth wing (BAVICHA), women’s wing (BAWACHA), and party chairperson, which occurred at the party’s headquarters in Mikocheni, Ubungo Plaza, and Mlimani City, respectively, our team saw party members and delegates behaving properly and displaying extraordinary composure and calmness.
While minor incidents of violence were reported, fueled by reports of vote-buying and corruption, the overall atmosphere during all elections was that of reasonableness, a quality that earned CHADEMA the reputation of political maturity, further proving its willingness to embrace competitive politics and pluralism of ideas.
This orderliness allowed CHADEMA to organise its intraparty elections successfully and witness the smooth transfer of power from Mbowe and his team to Mr Lissu, who is now responsible for leading the party for the next five years, with winning the 2025 elections remaining his topmost challenge.
High level of tolerance
Closely related to orderliness concerning how the 2025 CHADEMA intraparty elections occurred is the high level of tolerance that party delegates displayed throughout the processes. Meetings and deliberations would take many excruciating hours, but meeting halls would be jam-packed with delegates who refused to desert them for other purposes.
Elections for BAWACHA leaders took three days, with those for BAVICHA and party chairperson taking two days each. Throughout all three elections, party delegates participated fully in the processes, demonstrating such an unwavering commitment to the future of their institution that attracted respect and admiration from many observers.
For instance, during the election for party chairperson, our team observed dozens of party delegates and CHADEMA followers dozing outside the auditorium where the voting was taking place, refusing to go home and come the next day to hear who had won the elections.
This display of commitment to, and love for, the party must have left the leadership with pride and a heavy burden on their shoulders, knowing that thousands of people have sacrificed their lives and time to build an institution they think has their best interests at heart and will fight for their improved welfare and freedoms.
Unmatched transparency
As if it wanted to use the elections to prove that the party meant it when it called itself “a party of democracy and progress,” CHADEMA demonstrated extraordinary transparency in how it conducted its internal elections, a step which most likely made the processes unifying instead of divisive.
And when the quest for making elections as transparent as possible clashed with the constitutional provisions, CHADEMA allowed the former to prevail, as when it allowed invited guests, including the press, to remain at the annual general congress even though they were not delegates to the conference.
Ballots for party chairmanship candidates were also counted publicly, with every party delegate openly seeing which candidate received the most votes. Agents for both candidates stood before party delegates, counting the votes of their respective candidates while every party delegate saw.
Some shortcomings
However, CHADEMA needs to reflect on some shortcomings to avoid them next time. One of these shortcomings was the delayed payment of allowances to party delegates, which caused much inconvenience. In fact, some blamed the conduct of the BAWACHA elections for two days solely on this issue.
Also, as mentioned above, allegations of corruption threatened to taint elections within the party and rob its legitimacy. CHADEMA would be best served if it thoroughly, transparently, and independently investigated these allegations and took appropriate steps according to its guidelines and regulations.
Random violent incidents reported during the elections, much of which related to corruption reports, could’ve been avoided if the party had put in place proper mechanisms to report these issues for their amicable resolution.
These shortcomings notwithstanding, CHADEMA successfully held its intraparty elections that passed the test of almost all elements of free and fair elections.
This allowed the party to prove many doubters wrong, who thought the processes wouldn’t reflect what the party preaches, i.e., the need for independent electoral bodies that deliver free and fair national elections. The task ahead is for the new party leadership to deliver on its pledges.
Lukelo Francis is an associate editor at The Chanzo. He’s available at lukelo@thechanzo.com and on X as @FrancisLukelo.
