Dar es Salaam — The nation is at a critical crossroads and requires strong leadership to avoid plunging into a deeper political, economic, and social crisis, according to ACT Wazalendo’s national chairperson, Othman Masoud Othman.
Speaking at a symposium convened by his party at the Serena Hotel in Dar es Salaam on May 16, 2026, Othman delivered a comprehensive analysis of the deadly events of October 29, 2025.
The gathering drew stakeholders from political parties, civil society organisations, the media, religious institutions, and the diplomatic community to discuss the country’s direction following the violence that claimed hundreds of lives.
Othman fundamentally rejected the findings of the presidential commission of inquiry led by retired Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, which had investigated the violence.
He argued that the commission’s report, which concluded that the protests were planned and financed, was designed to sanitise the security forces and shift blame to the citizens.
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“The Chande Commission, instead of wiping the tears of families who lost their loved ones due to the 2025 killings, has rubbed salt into the wound by concluding that those killed were paid to protest and that those who disappeared did so for personal reasons,” Othman stated.
Not an isolated incident
The opposition leader argued that the October 2025 violence was not an isolated incident but a “disaster in the making” that had been brewing for three decades.
He traced the root of the crisis to the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party’s reluctance to fully embrace multi-party democracy when it was reintroduced in 1992.
According to Othman, the government’s failure to implement the recommendations of the Justice Nyalali Commission—which had called for a new constitution and major institutional reforms—laid the groundwork for the current crisis.
Instead of building democratic institutions, he argued, the ruling party has increasingly relied on the state security apparatus to maintain power.
“Tanzania has now shifted from a competitive multi-party system to a political system controlled by the state through security and defence organs—a securocracy,” Othman declared.
“Currently, it is these organs that decide who becomes a local government leader, councillor, member of parliament, representative, President of Zanzibar, and President of the United Republic.”
Othman detailed how this shift has manifested in recent elections, describing a progression from hidden electoral theft before 2020 to the complete hijacking of the electoral process. He characterised the 2025 general election not as an election, but as an “arrangement of results.”
Electoral manipulation
ACT Wazalendo was the only major opposition party to participate fully in the 2025 elections, fielding candidates nationwide. Drawing on this experience, Othman provided specific examples of electoral manipulation on both the mainland and in Zanzibar.
On the mainland, he cited the exclusion of the party’s presidential candidate, Luhaga Joelson Mpina, and 54 parliamentary candidates. He also noted that elections were not held in large parts of several constituencies, including Ubungo, Kibamba, and Kinondoni, yet final results were still announced.
The situation in Zanzibar, Othman argued, has been characterised by a long history of electoral violations that have bred deep resentment among citizens.
He pointed to the cancellation of the 2015 election by the electoral commission chairperson and the unprecedented violence of the 2020 election, which he said resulted in 21 deaths and numerous injuries.
Despite joining a Government of National Unity after the 2020 elections with the hope of implementing reforms, Othman said the authorities refused to take corrective action.
Consequently, the 2025 elections in Zanzibar saw even greater disruptions, including the deliberate disenfranchisement of over 21,000 qualified voters and the registration of 65,000 unqualified individuals.
The ACT Wazalendo chairperson posed two critical questions to the symposium attendees: Who is in control of this system, and who benefits from it?
State capture
While acknowledging that CCM appears to be the primary beneficiary, Othman suggested that the ruling party itself has become a captive of the system it created.
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“The reality of the matter is that even CCM itself has been taken hostage and is affected by this situation,” he observed, quoting a Swahili proverb about the digger of a well falling into it himself.
Othman warned that the current situation has severely damaged social cohesion in the country, pointing to the alarming trend of citizens celebrating the deaths of political opponents on social media.
He also noted the collapse of the country’s international reputation, with its human rights record now being discussed at the United Nations, the European Union, and the Commonwealth.
The symposium, which ACT Wazalendo noted was intentionally composed of more than 70 per cent non-party members, represents an effort to build a broader consensus on how to navigate the current political impasse.
Othman promised that his party would continue to host such open forums whenever issues of broad national interest arise.
READ MORE: Civil Society Blasts Inquiry Commission Report Over Missing Perpetrators, Flawed Methods
As the country grapples with the aftermath of the October 2025 violence and the controversial findings of the Chande Commission, Othman’s speech underscores the deep divisions that remain.
His call for strong leadership and a fundamental reassessment of the country’s democratic trajectory highlights the significant challenges ahead in achieving genuine reconciliation and political reform.
