The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) denies allegations that it relies on state apparatuses to further its political goals, including winning elections, asserting that its electoral victories stem from its popularity among the electorate and the opposition parties’ lack of preparedness to win.
During an interview with The Chanzo, Ally Salum Hapi, a senior official of CCM and member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), stated that Africa’s second-longest-ruling party does not require the assistance of state apparatuses, as it is the only political party in Tanzania with a large number of card-carrying members and a well-established presence at the grassroots level.
“Just recently, our Secretary-General, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, informed the public that, as of now, CCM has over 12.1 million members who have registered electronically,” said Mr Hapi, Secretary-General of CCM’s Parents’ Wing. “In the upcoming 2025 elections, it is expected that 31 million voters will participate. CCM already has a base of 12 million members. That’s just members—we haven’t even counted followers and supporters.”
Claims that the ruling party uses state apparatuses—chiefly the police, election management bodies, and the office of the party registrar, to name a few—to further its electoral aims have been prevalent in Tanzania at least since the country held its first multiparty elections in 1995. During this time, CCM has been accused of weaponising its incumbent status against its competitors.
These claims gained strength in 2020 when former CCM Secretary-General Bashiru Ally admitted in a television interview that the party indeed uses state organs to maintain its grip on power. He attributed the ousting of other African liberation parties, such as Kenya’s KANU and Zambia’s UNIP, to their failure to leverage state powers for their political and electoral advantage.
No use of state organs
However, during his interview with The Chanzo, Mr Hapi insisted that CCM has no reason to use state organs for political or electoral purposes, emphasizing that the party has achieved so much in its service to Tanzania’s electorate that it does not need to rely on state organs to win elections.
“Any party wins an election for two major reasons,” Mr Hapi argued. “Firstly, based on what it has delivered while in power. On this account, CCM has excelled in fulfilling its promises, such as providing people with water, electricity, and education, offering credits to the youth, promoting civil servants, and meeting other campaign pledges.
“Secondly, a political party wins based on the hopes it offers to the electorate, and on this count, CCM has no competitor in presenting the most promising future for the Tanzanian population. Therefore, there is no need to use state powers, and we don’t even need to rely on them to win elections,” he added.
Hapi’s denials of CCM’s reliance on state apparatuses to achieve its electoral objectives come at a time when major opposition parties in Tanzania, chiefly CHADEMA and ACT-Wazalendo, are up in arms against the country’s current legal and regulatory frameworks. They argue that these frameworks fail to create a level playing field for political competition in the East African nation.
Especially because of these concerns, CHADEMA has vowed to use popular power to prevent the 2025 presidential and parliamentary elections from taking place until authorities implement significant reforms to ensure a free, fair, and transparent process where every vote counts. Under its ‘No Reform, No Election’ slogan, the party argues that the current circumstances do not guarantee democratic elections.
However, Mr Hapi, who previously served as Kinondoni District Commissioner and Iringa Regional Commissioner, suggested that instead of trying to prevent elections from taking place, opposition parties should focus their energy on enhancing their competitiveness. This includes building their party’s capacity to field a larger number of candidates during elections.
READ MORE: CHADEMA Presents Its ‘No Reform, No Election’ Agenda to Party Registrar
Giving an example of the 2024 local government elections, in which CCM won by 99 per cent and which opposition parties claimed were marred by massive irregularities—including the disqualification of their candidates and the seizure of fake ballots—Hapi claimed that the opposition, collectively, managed to field only 30,977 candidates for a total of 8,430 positions, including street chairpersons, village chairpersons, sub-village chairpersons, and members of their respective consultative councils.
“This means that even if all opposition candidates successfully made it to the race—that is, if no candidate was disqualified—the opposition, combined, would take only 38 per cent of all posts contested,” he said.
“Our colleagues [in the opposition] have some major internal weaknesses which they’re not yet willing to discuss,” Mr Hapi added. “If you have a strong political party that is prepared to win elections and form a government, how is it impossible to have a candidate in so many positions?”
Samia’s candidacy
During the interview, Mr Hapi also spoke about CCM’s candidate in the upcoming general elections, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, describing her as an “asset” in the ruling party’s attempts to secure another five-year mandate to lead Tanzania.
“President Samia is an asset,” the senior CCM official stated. “And we, as CCM, as the party’s youth, say she is an asset because she has demonstrated, beyond any doubt, her ability to lead our country.”
Hapi said that the circumstances under which President Samia assumed leadership of the country—following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli—were among the most challenging Tanzania had ever witnessed in its entire history, as many people were worried about the country’s future.
“President Samia has been strong and calm,” Mr Hapi said. “We haven’t heard of the country facing any kind of trouble since she took over. She successfully delivered us from these challenging times.
“Our country remains stable and peaceful, allowing people to carry out their activities. Not many countries enjoy the peace and stability that Tanzania enjoys, and this is all thanks to President Samia’s strong and visionary leadership.”
One Response
So you mean to say Judge Warioba was lying? Really?