Dar es Salaam. The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties in Tanzania would desire that citizens perceive it as a government authority that fulfils its legal duties, without exercising any form of discrimination or partisan bias.
However, this objective may face obstacles due to the recent action from this office in the lead-up to the general election on October 29, 2025.
In a scenario that could be described as a crucial opportunity that this Office would be expected to seize to demonstrate its independence in the eyes of Tanzanians, two members from two different political parties – one from the opposition and one from the ruling party – wrote to the Office complaining about the procedures used to select their presidential candidates for the general election.
On August 19, 2025, Monalisa Joseph Ndala of ACT Wazalendo challenged the procedure used to select their presidential candidate, Luhaga Mpina. On that very same date, Davidlevi Nestory Nkindikwa of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) also wrote to the Registrar, contesting the procedure that led to Samia Suluhu Hassan becoming their presidential candidate.
Among other grounds, Ndala argued that Mpina’s nomination violated the ACT-Wazalendo 2024 Election Rules, which stipulate that a presidential candidate must have been a party member for at least seven days before the nomination process begins—a requirement Mpina failed to meet.
Nkindikwa, for his part, presented three arguments to the Registrar opposing the procedure that led to Samia’s selection. One key argument centred on Article 105(7)(b) of the CCM Constitution, which requires the party’s Central Committee to consider and submit no more than five names to the National Executive Committee for screening ahead of the National Congress—a requirement he argued was not fulfilled.
Just as these letters reached the Registrar at the same time, so too did his Office respond to them, providing Monalisa and Nkindikwa with replies to their respective letters on the same day, August 26, 2025.
Regarding the procedure that led to the selection of Mpina of ACT Wazalendo, the Registrar agreed with Monalisa’s arguments, acknowledging the existence of a violation. The Registrar went even further by nullifying the nomination, a move that rendered Mpina ineligible to be nominated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest for the country’s highest leadership position.
However, when it came to Nkindikwa’s petition, the Registrar took a completely different stance, refusing outright to address the arguments raised by the CCM member in his letter. The Registrar stated that the matter was now before the Court and therefore could not be commented on.
Unfortunately for the Registrar, his letter did not specify exactly which court this matter is before, the case number, the presiding judge, or who filed the petition and when. This information is crucial because Tanzanians are aware of only one existing case related to this matter, the ruling for which was delivered on August 22, 2025—five days before the Registrar’s response on August 26.
That case, which was filed by CCM member Godfrey Malisa in the High Court’s main registry in Dodoma, was concluded after a panel of three judges agreed with the respondent’s preliminary objection that the Court lacked jurisdiction to hear it. This was because the petitioner had failed to exhaust the internal party mechanisms for resolving his grievances.
It is unclear whether the Registrar was referring to this specific case or if there is another case whose existence he is aware of, but which is not yet known to the public. However, this has not stopped some sceptics from noting what they perceive to be discriminatory behaviour on the part of the Registrar when addressing grievances within political parties.
“Our country is rife with a culture of high-level impunity,” Felius Festo, publicity secretary for CHADEMA Youth Council (BAVICHA), wrote on X. “The Registrar of Political Parties, who was appointed by the CCM candidate, is increasingly doing the work of CCM by eliminating the opponents of their chosen candidate. This is among the issues that drive CHADEMA to fight for reforms. Our nation needs reforms in every sector.”
On his part, Nkindikwa told The Chanzo that he received the Registrar’s letter but described the response he got as “an embarrassment” to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties of Tanzania.
Monalisa accepted the Registrar’s decision with “great respect.” In a statement, she celebrated the ruling, declaring that it firmly confirmed no person or institution is above the law.
ACT Wazalendo, however, is not the only party whose candidate has been disqualified after the Registrar noted a violation of the party’s own procedures in the nomination process. The Office has also nullified the nomination of Wilson Elias from the opposition ADC party for the very same reasons.
