Displaying items by tag: opposition party

Tundu Lissu has been elected chairman of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, ousting Freeman Mbowe, who had led the party for over twenty years. Lissu won a tightly contested election with 51.5% of the vote, campaigning on promises of change and stronger opposition to the ruling CCM party. Mbowe emphasised his record of strengthening the party and accepted the results graciously. Lissu, a vocal critic of the government, survived a 2017 assassination attempt and lost the presidential election in 2020 to John Magufuli. He has accused Magufuli’s successor, Samia Suluhu Hassan, of repression, and strongly spoken out against human rights violations and recent abductions and disappearances of citizens, including opposition officials. He and other colleagues have been arrested in recent months amid a government crackdown on opposition demonstrations. His leadership signals a shift towards a bolder opposition stance ahead of the October presidential elections.

On 24 January, supporters of the main opposition party, Chadema, staged a peaceful march in Dar-es-Salaam - the first such occasion in seven years. A ban on political gatherings and protests was imposed by former president John Magufuli in 2015 but lifted by Samia Suluhu Hassan in 2021. Under heavy police protection, the demonstrators marched peacefully through the streets, waving placards and blowing whistles. They are calling for constitutional amendments to allow presidential election results to be challenged in court and to prevent the president from selecting electoral commission members. The opposition party also highlighted concerns about the high cost of living in Tanzania. Chadema's chairman, Freeman Mbowe, urged the withdrawal of proposed electoral law amendments from parliament until public opinions are incorporated. Unlike the previous era under Magufuli, this demonstration was not disrupted by the police, indicating a shift in the government's approach to political dissent. During his tenure, opposition gatherings were often violently suppressed, and leaders faced arrests and attacks, which they deemed politically motivated.