Dar es Salaam. Some members and supporters of Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), have criticised it for disqualifying winners of the primary elections for the 2025 parliamentary seats and replacing them with candidates who lost the internal party process.
CCM finalised its process of selecting parliamentary candidates for the general election scheduled for October 29, 2025, on August 23, 2025, by announcing the names that its top decision-making organs, meeting in Dodoma, had appointed to contest for those positions.
However, contrary to the expectations of some of its members and supporters, CCM not only failed to nominate those who won the opinion polls, but it even passed over candidates who finished third in those internal contests, a situation that angered some of the party’s followers and led to public protests against the decision.
This opposition has been clearly visible in the Tanga Urban constituency, where CCM passed over primary winner and long-time incumbent MP Ummy Mwalimu to nominate Kassim Amari Mbaraka as its candidate for the October general election.
In the primary, Mwalimu—a former government minister—decisively won with 5,750 votes, overwhelmingly defeating her four rivals; Mbaraka received only 80.
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This situation deeply displeased CCM members, who marched to the party’s district office to present their grievances. They interpreted the party’s decision to select a candidate who received 80 votes over one who received more than 5,000 as an act of contempt and a dismissal of the grassroots members’ voices.
Voting for the opposition
“We are not part of ‘Team Ummy’ or ‘Team Omary’; we made our decision by voting for Ummy Mwalimu,” said Mwinyi Zahoro Bakari, who led the group of protestors.
“But the higher-ups have removed her name. Now we are saying clearly, CCM should not blame us on October 29, 2025,” he added. “We will vote for the opposition from the councillor level, all the way to parliament, and even the presidency.”
This issue has continued to dominate discussions on various platforms in Tanzania, to the extent that it prompted Mwalimu to publicly come forward and warn about its danger to the well-being and success of CCM in the upcoming election, while emphasising the importance of respecting the party’s official procedures.
”For us, as CCM members, where the party has already decided to appoint a person as the CCM candidate in an election, our duty is to respect that decision,” Ms Mwalimu told a press conference on Monday.
“I sincerely plead with my comrades to support our brother, Kassim Amari Mbaraka, who has been appointed by our party to be our candidate for the Tanga Urban Constituency,” she pleaded.
Apart from Tanga Urban, CCM members in the Tarime Urban constituency also marched to the party’s offices to protest their party’s decision to disqualify the winner of the primaries in that constituency, Michael Kembaki, and to appoint Esther Matiko, who finished in third place, to represent the party at the parliamentary level for the constituency.
Like their counterparts in Tanga Urban, these members have threatened to vote for the opposition, alleging that the national-level party leadership has disregarded the decisions of its members.
Widespread issue
But this was a pattern observed all over the country, not just in Tanga and Tarime. In Bukoba Urban, for example, primary winner Johnston Mtasingwa was replaced by NEC appointee Johansen Mutabingwa.
Similarly, in Bunda Urban, Robert Maboto, who won the primary, was passed over for Esther Bulaya. Dodoma Urban saw Samuel Malecela win the primary, but Paschal Inyasa Chinyele was chosen as the candidate.
The pattern continued in Kigoma Urban, where Kirumbe Ng’enda’s primary victory was overlooked in favour of Clayton Revocatus Chiponda alias Baba Revo.
READ MORE: Dozens of CCM Lawmakers and Deputy Ministers Fall in Party Primaries
In the high-profile case of Monduli, former Prime Minister Fred Lowassa won the primary but was not nominated; the ticket was given to Isack Copriao. Moshi Urban primary winner Priscus Tarimo was replaced by Ibrahim Mohamed Shayo, and in Mpanda Urban, Beda Katani was succeeded by Haidar Hemed Sumury.
Other affected constituencies include Igunga, where Nicholaus Ngassa was replaced by Henry C. Kabeho; Mufindi North, where Luqman Merhab was succeeded by Exaude Kigahe; and Nyamagana, where primary winner Stanslaus Mabula was displaced by Nzilanyingi Francisco John.
Further instances occurred in Nyang’wale, where Hussein Kassu was not nominated despite winning, with the candidacy going to Hallen Nassor Amar. In Sikonge, the primary winner, Munde Tambwe, was replaced by Amosy William Maganga.
In Tabora Urban, Shaaban Mrutu’s primary win was set aside for Hawa Subira Mwaifunga. Finally, in Tunduru North, Abdukadir Issa, the winner of the primary, was succeeded by NEC appointee Sikudhani Yassin Chikambo.
Defence
CCM’s defence for making these decisions is that the primary polls are, by their very nature, just “opinions,” and that the party’s organs still retain the full authority to make the final selection.
In other words, members recommend a candidate they prefer, but it remains the responsibility of the party’s official bodies to choose who will ultimately represent it in the election.
Writing on her X, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is the national chairperson of CCM, congratulated all members of the party who had been selected to run for parliamentary, representative, and councillor positions.
“I wish you all the best in your preparations for the journey of seeking the people’s mandate through the ballot box in the General Election in October 2025,” the Head of State added. “May God go before you, guide you, and grant you success.”
