By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday announced a suspension of the ban imposed in 2016 by her predecessor, which stops opposition political parties from carrying out campaign rallies, a move towards restoring democratic tradition in the country.
Addressing party leaders invited to State House on Tuesday, Hassan announced that the “ban on political rallies is now lifted”.
“The government will be responsible for ensuring security during rallies, but I urge all politicians to also practise civilised politics,” she said.
“You are all free to criticise the government wherever you see challenges, so that we address them for the benefit of our people.”
The government has been under pressure to overturn hard lines policies of the former leader, Nohn Magufuli, who died in 2021 after six years of iron fist rule in a country once seen as a democratic beacon in East Africa.
Early in his tenure, he banned political rallies, saying it was time for work, not politics.
Critics accused the government of applying the ban only to opposition groups, while the ruling party is free to assemble. Rival gatherings were violently broken up by police and their officials thrown in jail.
In 2018, police fired live rounds to disperse a rally by the Chadema opposition party, and its leader Freeman Mbowe was later charged with unlawful assembly and inciting violence.
Mbowe, who spent seven months in prison under Hassan on terrorism charges, was cautious.
“It is good that the president has allowed political meetings, but we are now waiting to see the implementation by other government officials,” he said.
Zitto Kabwe, another opposition leader, said the decision was a first step towards greater political reforms.
“I am exhilarated! This is the right that was snatched by the state through an illegal presidential decree. President Samia has cleaned up the mess. It is a normal thing but Huge,” he told AFP in a WhatsApp message.
The opposition hoped that Hassan, a ruling party stalwart herself, and deputy president at the time of Magufuli’s sudden death, would turn the page on the autocratic-style rule of her predecessor.
“President Suluhu should definitely go beyond this announcement. There has to be concrete action to restore a fair democratic playing field in Tanzania,” said Oryem Nyeko, a researcher on Tanzania for Human Rights Watch.
Hassan said Tuesday she was committed to “reconciliation and reforms” including a long-awaited rewriting of the constitution, a key opposition demand.
“More legal reforms are coming soon to ensure that the rights of all parties are accommodated,” she said.
Hassan has battled division within her Chama Cha Mapinduzi party since taking office, shuffling her cabinet three times in 2022 as internal fissures broke into the open.
She has accused rivals inside the government of trying to damage her leadership, and last year suspended a party-owned newspaper for publishing a story saying she would not run in elections set for 2025.
