Tanzania’s ruling party, CCM, has postponed the Central Committee meeting responsible for naming the top three candidates to advance to the party primaries. In the primaries, the candidate who receives the most votes will become the party’s candidate in the upcoming general election.
The news of the postponement broke this morning following the leak of a letter addressed to the Central Committee members. The letter cited a technical glitch as the reason for the delay. It was dated July 18, 2025, the same day most members were expected to have arrived in Dodoma.
“I take this opportunity to inform you that, due to technical reasons, the national CCM meetings scheduled for July 18–19, 2025 (Security and Ethics Committee – Central Committee) have now been postponed until further notice,” the letter, which was signed by the Secretary of the Secretariat, Mr. Salum Khatib Reja, reads.
On July 15, 2025, the party had released a statement confirming that the Central Committee meeting was scheduled for July 19, 2025, at around 10:00 a.m. The party stated that the meeting would be preceded by a session of the National Executive Council Secretariat, which was reviewing the names of the aspirants. At the time, the review was said to be ongoing.
Following the circulation of the postponement letter, CCM Secretary for Ideology, Publicity, and Training, Amos Makalla, held a press conference in response to multiple calls from journalists. Makalla announced that the new date for the Central Committee meeting is July 28, 2025.
“The final meeting for the selection of candidates will be held on the 28th [of July], the Central Committee, this is the meeting of the Central Committee which was supposed to make the appointment today, the 19th [of July],” Makalla told journalists.
“There are many candidates, so the task of screening is extensive, and we want to act justly and handle it carefully. We are not restricted, so we have given ourselves the space to handle this matter properly, according to our own schedule within Chama Cha Mapinduzi,” he continued.
The postponement has sparked much speculation on social media, particularly following yesterday’s press conference by former Tanzanian Ambassador to Cuba and party insider, Humphrey Polepole, who strongly criticized CCM’s processes, especially regarding the announcement of the presidential candidate.
The meeting had been highly anticipated, especially due to developments at the grassroots level regarding the selection of candidates. Several complaints have resurfaced about the process, including concerns about how potential candidates were ranked
