If it’s your first time encountering Tanzania’s online space, you might think something is wrong with your social media timeline. That’s because No Reforms, No Election has flooded every corner of Tanzanian social media—appearing in statuses, stories, videos, and image captions.

No Reforms, No Election is a campaign launched by Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, calling for major reforms in the country’s electoral system. The campaign stems from issues the party faced during past elections, including the killing of some of its candidates during the 2024 local government elections, the disqualification of its candidates in several elections since 2020, the spread of fake ballots, and concerns over the independence of the electoral commission.

While CHADEMA has pushed the campaign through its rallies, which have gathered thousands across the country, the campaign has taken its own form on social media. Without a celebrity endorsement, viral song, or trending dance, the campaign has still managed to dominate Tanzanian social media for three straight days. Tanzanians are commenting en masse on government social media pages, as well as the pages of politicians, institutions, celebrities, and anywhere that allows comments. This flood of engagement has overwhelmed many administrators of official pages, forcing them to delete comments, block users, filter keywords, or disable comments entirely.

What’s particularly striking is how the campaign has gained traction on entertainment-driven platforms like Instagram and TikTok—spaces which are typically known for celebrity news, entertainment, and humor in Tanzania. It is also noted that Tanzanians who usually shy away from politics are engaging in large numbers in the campaign. A notable catalyst for this shift is U.S.-based Tanzanian activist Mange Kimambi, who announced she would not post on her gossiping app for five months to focus on what she refers to as an emergency towards an election.

“No Reforms, No Election is not a slogan meant to oppose elections for politics’ sake,” one commenter wrote under a Tanzanian artist’s post. “It’s a call for justice and real democracy. We are demanding meaningful reforms to ensure that every vote counts and truly reflects the will of the people.”

The campaign’s visibility even surprised Chella, a trending Nigerian artist known for his hit song My Darling, who got caught in the wave after announcing his arrival in Tanzania.

“I do music, I don’t do politics, and I know nothing about politics, but my comment section is making me scared. What is no reform, no election, and I’m seeing too much of it?” Chella Boi asked.

“Is there something you need to tell me, Tanzanians? Please, what is going on? I’m not a politician, I’m an artist, but I’m seeing no reform, no election in my comment section, too much of it, and I’m getting scared,” he continued in a video shared on his Instagram.

CHADEMA insists that it is ready to participate in elections—but only if the playing field is level. In line with this position, the party refused to attend the signing ceremony for the electoral code of conduct. In response, the National Electoral Commission argued that CHADEMA is barred from participating in elections until 2030, something that legal experts have challenged, and a case has been filed at the court on the same.

Analysts see the No Reforms, No Election stance as offering voters an unusual option: to choose not to vote, and it puts a heavy burden on the question of the legitimacy of power over the ruling party, if the election is held without the participation of a significant portion of the population. Former Chief Justice Joseph Sinde Warioba is among those warning against disenfranchising millions of Tanzanians.

“Institutions dealing with political matters focus on parties—the Electoral Commission looks at parties, the Registrar of Political Parties looks at parties—but they forget that within those parties are citizens,” Warioba said at a Tanganyika Law Society symposium on May 3, 2025.“So when you say you’re punishing a party, in reality, you’re punishing millions of Tanzanians.”

He continued: “In the past, we rejected systems that sidelined people. In Zanzibar, the revolution’s foundation was about people being denied rights. We’re now repeating the same mistakes we fought against in 1958 and 1963. Such decisions can lead to serious problems.”

On its side, the government has continued to raise awareness for people to engage in the electoral processes, with the president emphasizing that engagement is a mark of true patriotism.

“Failing to turn up for voter registration is to willingly deny yourself your constitutional right. And when you deny your constitutional right, the question becomes: Are you truly patriotic? What kind of patriot are you when the Constitution has given you this opportunity? Go register, vote, and choose a leader you believe will serve you, yet you reject this,” explained President Samia on May 17, 2025, while updating her information in the voter registry.

She continued: “If you refuse to engage, others will go and choose someone they want, and you lose the chance to persuade others to support the one you prefer. So you end up being someone who just complains aimlessly. But the bigger issue here is patriotism. Ask yourself, deep in your heart—where is my patriotism?”

In response to the growing No Reforms, No Election movement online, supporters of the ruling party CCM have launched a counter-campaign under the hashtag #OktobaTunatiki (We Tick the Box in October). They have promoted it through social media messages and celebrity endorsements. However, this campaign has yet to gain the same momentum or resonance as No Reforms, No Election.

Government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa, commenting on the trend in an interview with Mwananchi News, dismissed the online engagement as nonsense. However, a video clip now circulating on social media shows Msigwa greeting students at the University of Dodoma (UDOM) during a night music event on June 7, 2025. In the background, some attendees can be heard shouting “No Reforms, No Election” as he encourages them to turn out to vote in October 2025.

In an Instagram post today, Msigwa, who now closes his comments when posting, addressed the incident, claiming that those shouting during his appearance were intoxicated.

“Congratulations to the students of UDOM for a wonderful entertainment event, Chuo kwa Chuo. Keep studying with effort and diligence, and the government will continue to improve the environment for higher education. Ignore the few drunkards who were sent to make noise and record a clip during my greetings,”  Msigwa wrote.