Dar es Salaam – A war of narratives is intensifying in Tanzania as the leading opposition party, CHADEMA, formally rejects the legitimacy of the October 29, 2025, general election.
In a powerful statement on December 11, 2025, the party, which claims to have been systematically prevented from contesting, labelled the election “invalid” and described President Samia Suluhu Hassan as a “self-imposed ruler.”
“The October 29, 2025, election was not a legitimate election but a predetermined outcome orchestrated by the state,” said John Heche, CHADEMA’s deputy national chairperson (Tanzania Mainland), in a press conference, presenting the party’s Central Committee’s resolutions on the elections and its associated events.
“We are witnessing a situation where the state has waged war against its own citizens,” he added. “This is not a legitimate government.”
The party’s stance is a culmination of months of what some have described as an escalating political suppression. A High Court injunction on June 10, 2025, effectively banned all of CHADEMA’s political activities, while its chairperson, Tundu Lissu, was arrested in April and continues to be detained on treason charges.
The party also highlights that the Registrar of Political Parties, a government appointee, moved to nullify its internal leadership elections, further crippling its ability to function.
CHADEMA argues that these actions vindicate its decision not to participate in an electoral process it deemed fundamentally flawed from the outset.
The party had refused to sign the electoral codes of conduct, insisting on meaningful reforms to guarantee a level playing field, particularly an independent electoral commission free from presidential influence.
Different account
This declaration, however, is set against a starkly different account from the government. In a speech to elders in Dar es Salaam on December 2, 2025, President Samia defended her nearly 98 per cent victory as a reflection of her government’s performance and popular will.
She even offered her own theory for CHADEMA’s absence from the ballot, claiming the party withdrew to avoid a humiliating defeat predicted by opinion polls.
“They refused to enter [the election] on their own. They were not prevented by anyone,” President Samia asserted. “They refused to enter themselves because they already knew they would not succeed. They knew they would be embarrassed.”
In its latest statement, CHADEMA details a horrifying post-election landscape, alleging that state security forces are responsible for over 2,000 deaths and more than 5,000 injuries. These claims align with a report from UN human rights experts who condemned “widespread and systematic human rights violations.”
The government, however, has refused to release an official death toll. Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba stated on November 25, 2025, that providing such figures would be disrespectful to the grieving and tantamount to “celebrating deaths.”
“You want us to start counting as if these are achievements, guys? You want us to count people’s lives as if they are cars?” the Prime Minister asked journalists, dismissing the high figures as part of an “economic war” against the nation.
President Samia has also defended the actions of her security forces, framing the unrest not as protests but as “violence” aimed at overthrowing the state.
“When they come back to blame us for using excessive force, what did they want?” she questioned in her December 2 speech. “Did they want us to watch that mob succeed in what they were paid for, what they were sent to do? No.”
Domestic inquiry
In the face of these conflicting realities, CHADEMA has unequivocally rejected the domestic Commission of Inquiry established by President Samia on November 20, 2025, stating it has “no faith in any domestic commission.”
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“We call upon the international community, including the United Nations, the African Union, SADC, and the European Union, to establish an independent, transparent, and inclusive inquiry to investigate the killings, torture, and violence,” urged Mr Heche during his press conference.
The party is also calling for prosecutions at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This call is bolstered by a growing chorus of global condemnation. The United States has initiated a ‘comprehensive review’ of its bilateral relations, the European Parliament has condemned the violence, and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation has declared that the country “lacks a legitimate government.”
Despite the immense pressure and the government’s counter-narrative, CHADEMA’s leadership remains defiant.
“We are not people who give up, and we will not turn back,” Mr Heche affirmed. “These sufferings are temporary, and we will certainly overcome them. A day of accountability will come for those responsible.”
