On the morning of October 29, 2025, Fatuma Mwalimu, a schoolteacher in Dar es Salaam, queued with hope. She had spent weeks talking with neighbors, debating policies, and planning her vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed my voice could matter,\u201d she said. \u201cI believed change was possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the evening, that hope had been crushed. President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) was declared the winner with nearly 98 percent of the vote\u2014an outcome many called impossible in a truly competitive democracy. Fatuma and millions of others felt the result was preordained.<\/p>\n
Before the first ballots were cast, the field had been narrowed. Tanzania\u2019s two strongest opposition contenders were barred: CHADEMA refused to sign a controversial code of conduct and was excluded, while ACT-Wazalendo\u2019s candidate was disqualified on technical grounds. \u201cThey left us no choice,\u201d said John Mboya, a CHADEMA supporter. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an election. It was a performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Across the country, observers reported ballot-stuffing, multiple ballots handed to single voters, and polling stations operating without opposition agents. A nationwide internet blackout blocked real-time reporting and curtailed transparency. The African Union mission concluded: \u201cThe 2025 Tanzania General Elections did not comply with AU principles\u2026for democratic elections.\u201d The Southern African Development Community said in many areas, voters \u201ccould not express their democratic will.\u201d<\/p>\n
When protests erupted in cities like Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, the government responded with force. Curfews were imposed, the internet remained shut, and hundreds were arrested. CHADEMA estimates that at least 700 people were killed in the unrest. Their spokesperson said: \u201cIn Dar, around 350; Mwanza, over 200; elsewhere, the total may reach 700.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even abroad, the election drew scrutiny. Kenyan President William Ruto remarked, \u201cIn a democracy, for example in Kenya, you can never get 96 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
For citizens like Fatuma, the numbers are more than statistics\u2014they are a measure of lost trust. \u201cWe lined up for democracy, but what we got was silence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Observers said that Tanzania\u2019s 2025 elections were not just a vote; they were a test of democratic integrity. And by many accounts, the test was failed. The country now faces a hard question: can faith in the system be rebuilt, or has the precedent of an uncontested, tightly controlled election been set for the future?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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