August 28, 2025, marked the official launch of Tanzania’s general election campaign season. As expected, the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) kicked off with its characteristic grandeur, holding a large-scale rally in Dar es Salaam.
Roads were closed, buses transported thousands of supporters to the venue, and helicopters flew overhead to add to the atmosphere. The event underscored CCM’s immense resources and deep political machinery. But what it lacked was the essential feature of any democratic campaign: a peer competitor.
Seventeen presidential candidates have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Yet, ask the average Tanzanian to name more than one, and most will likely mention only the incumbent, President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The others remain largely unknown or politically insignificant – an unsettling reflection of the state of electoral competition in the country.
Tanzania’s leading opposition party, CHADEMA, announced earlier this year that it would block the election altogether, citing an uneven playing field and calling for electoral reforms. Its firebrand leader, Tundu Lissu, once hailed as the most formidable challenger to CCM’s dominance, is now behind bars facing treason charges – allegations that carry the risk of capital punishment.
Meanwhile, ACT-Wazalendo, which had shown signs of emerging as an alternative force, faced its own blow. Its presidential candidate, Luhaga Mpina, a recent defector from CCM, was disqualified by the Registrar of Political Parties.
That leaves only Salum Mwalimu of CHAUMA to contest against CCM. Although Mwalimu may not be a pushover, his recent departure from CHADEMA, following the intra-party post-election disputes, has blunted his influence and visibility.
In effect, CCM now finds itself in a political ring with no real challenger. Victory is all but guaranteed. But as any seasoned fighter will tell you – what’s victory without a bloody nose? It’s a coronation.
Iron curtain
Since Tanzania’s return to multiparty democracy in 1992, the relationship between CCM and opposition parties has been turbulent at best. Election cycles have often been marred by violence, suppression, and legal wrangling.
The tragic events of 2001 in Zanzibar, where dozens were killed in post-election clashes, remain a painful reminder. Even former President Benjamin Mkapa called those events one of his greatest regrets.
READ MORE: CHADEMA: No Reforms, No Election is a Fight for Fairness, Not a Boycott
Fast forward to 2020, the Zanzibar elections once again ended in chaos. Despite forming a Government of National Unity afterwards, ACT-Wazalendo has consistently demanded an independent investigation into the violence and irregularities. These events suggest a pattern rather than isolated incidents.
Tundu Lissu’s political ascent has mirrored the journey of the late Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad – a relentless opposition figure. Lissu has consistently challenged authority with legal acumen and defiance. In 2020, he stood against President John Magufuli, just three years after surviving an assassination attempt.
Lissu’s absence in this year’s race leaves a vacuum that no other candidate seems able to fill. CCM goes into the polls without its most formidable challenger.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan began her tenure with promise, championing the 4R philosophy of Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms, and Rebuilding. Yet, without significant progress on political inclusivity and electoral reforms, these aspirations risk being undermined, potentially limiting the legacy she hopes to leave behind.
Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan once famously told his Soviet Union counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev, to “tear down this wall,” referring to the Berlin Wall that symbolised a divided and repressive system.
That message resonates here. Madam President, the time has come to tear down Tanzania’s own political iron curtain – the barrier that separates the citizens from the full promise of democracy.
What now?
Tanzania will go to the polls on October 29. CCM will field candidates on both the mainland and Zanzibar, backed by seemingly unlimited resources and decades of institutional dominance. With the major opposition parties sidelined and their leading figure imprisoned, the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
That may be convenient politics for CCM, and who would dispute that? However, democracies are strengthened not by the comfort of uncontested victories but by the fire of real opposition.
Elections should test leaders, sharpen manifestos, and force the powerful to listen and respond. What we face now is a hollow ritual – an election in form, but not in substance.
Admittedly, Tundu Lissu embodies the essential traits of a true challenger – capable, stubborn, and intelligent. He’s the kind of opponent one might prefer not to face. Yet, his presence would compel the ruling party to justify its position, not simply assume it.
CCM will win this election – that much is certain. I only wish the contest were more evenly matched.
Festo Mulinda is a political analyst and freelance columnist focusing on international relations and geopolitics. He can be reached at mulindafesto@gmail.com or on X as @fmulinda_III. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
