The Commonwealth Special Envoy, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, arrived in Dar es Salaam on April 8, 2026, accompanied by Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey. The visit aims to engage stakeholders in discussions regarding incidents during Tanzania’s 2025 elections.
This visit follows a March 2026 meeting between the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Special Duties), Prof. Palamagamba Kabudi, and the Presidential Advisor on Foreign Affairs with the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). During that meeting, Tanzania committed to welcome the Commonwealth envoy and provide access to relevant stakeholders.
In the concluding statement from March 2026, CMAG—the body responsible for upholding the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values—described the meeting as a “productive engagement.” However, the group decided to keep Tanzania under its monitoring mechanism.
“CMAG decided to retain Tanzania on its Formal Agenda and encouraged the Government of Tanzania to advance, with the support of the Secretariat, the areas outlined in CMAG’s Seventy-first Meeting in December 2025,” the statement reads.
“CMAG welcomed Tanzania’s commitment to receive and facilitate the visit and work of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy in March 2026. CMAG looks forward to a robust assessment from the Special Envoy, particularly on issues raised by CMAG,” the statement concluded.
The envoy is expected to meet a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including government officials, civil society representatives, and political parties.
