Dar es Salaam – The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties has issued a formal letter to the main opposition party, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), demanding explanations regarding the party’s central committee resolutions passed on May 2, 2026.
The letter, dated May 7, 2026, and signed by Systy L. Nyahoza on behalf of the Registrar, alleges that the resolutions and subsequent statements by party leaders violate provisions of the Political Parties Act.
The registrar’s letter specifically cites a video circulating on social media featuring CHADEMA’s deputy chairperson (Tanzania Mainland), John Heche. According to the letter, Heche stated that the party plans to organise nationwide protests to pressure for the release of their national chairperson, Tundu Lissu.
The letter notes that Heche made these remarks on April 9, 2026, during the commemoration of one year since Lissu was charged with criminal offences.
The registrar argues that these statements contravene Section 9(2) of the Political Parties Act, Chapter 258 (2023 Revised Edition), which requires political parties to operate in accordance with the Constitution of the United Republic, the Constitution of Zanzibar, and the Political Parties Act.
Breach of peace
Furthermore, the letter references Section 19(2)(f) of the Act, which prohibits political parties from allowing their leaders or members to use abusive, retaliatory, defamatory, or inciting language that could lead to a breach of peace or endanger national security.
READ MORE: Lipumba Ousted by Registrar Weeks After Speaking Out on Crackdown
The letter also highlights a second video featuring Oliver Kisaka, the CHADEMA Chairperson for Korogwe District in Tanga Region.
Kisaka is quoted discussing the events of October 29, 2025, stating, “You might take yourselves lightly, but you in Tanzania, in Dar es Salaam politics, you are people to be emulated and role models. When the unrest occurred on October 29, I was one of the people who were arrested and detained in an unknown location.”
The registrar claims these remarks also violate the aforementioned sections of the Political Parties Act.
Additionally, the registrar’s letter points to a public statement issued by CHADEMA on May 5, 2026, which allegedly contained defamatory and inciting language. It concerned the resolutions by the party’s central committee read by CHADEMA’s secretary general John Mnyika.
The letter quotes several excerpts from the statement, including references to President Samia Suluhu Hassan as an “unelected authoritarian ruler” and accusations that the government and security forces were responsible for “brutal and satanic murders” before, during, and after October 29, 2025.
READ MORE: A Tale of Two Letters: Registrar’s Divergent Responses Fuel Claims of Political Bias
The registrar has demanded that CHADEMA submit a written explanation by May 20, 2026, detailing why the party’s registration should not be suspended or why the party should not be fined for violating the conditions of the Political Parties Act.
Strained relations
This latest development comes amid a broader context of strained relations between the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and opposition groups in the country.
The registrar’s office has faced persistent accusations of political bias and of acting as an instrument to suppress opposition to the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, charges it strongly denies.
In August 2025, the registrar nullified the presidential nomination of Luhaga Mpina, the candidate for the opposition ACT Wazalendo party, citing procedural violations.
However, on the same day, the registrar refused to investigate similar complaints regarding the nomination process of President Samia within CCM, stating the matter was before the courts. This divergent response fueled claims of partiality.
CHADEMA itself has been fighting for its survival following a series of legal and governmental crackdowns. In May 2025, the registrar nullified the appointments of key CHADEMA leaders, a decision later overturned by the High Court.
The party was also effectively sidelined from the October 2025 general elections after refusing to sign the electoral code of conduct, demanding broader electoral reforms.
More recently, on February 14, 2026, the registrar nullified the election results of the Civic United Front (CUF) party, ousting its national chairperson, Professor Ibrahim Lipumba.
This decision came just weeks after Lipumba publicly criticised the government’s handling of the violent crackdown on protests surrounding the disputed October 2025 elections, raising concerns about the timing and motivation behind the registrar’s actions.
The ongoing tensions highlight the controversial role the Registrar of Political Parties plays in the multiparty system, with opposition parties continually questioning the office’s independence and fairness in regulating political activities.
READ: Kivulini Talks: Tanzania’s Multi-Party System— Fix It or Forge Ahead Without Course Correction?
The letter has drawn broad discussion on social media, with the President of the Tanganyika Law Society, Boniface Mwabukusi, calling for the registrar’s office to be “checked”.
“We may blame other law enforcement and state institutions such as the Police, the Military, the Judiciary, and other security organs, but we should not forget that the main engine manufacturing and orchestrating deception, intrigue, and political chaos is the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties,” Mwabukusi wrote on X.
He continued: “It has abandoned its duty of merely registering political parties and instead transformed itself into an office that destabilizes internal party harmony, suppresses democratic freedoms, and limits broad political participation. This Office operates through oppression, discrimination, manipulation, and abuse of power.”
