Tanzania has banned its largest opposition party, Chadema, from this year’s elections. This comes just days after the party’s leader, Tundu Lissu, was arrested and accused of treason.
Election officials say Chadema broke the rules by not signing an important agreement about how elections should be run. Because of this, the party cannot take part in the October vote or any other elections until 2030.
Lissu was arrested after speaking at a protest where he demanded changes to make elections fairer. The government says his words were dangerous and charged him with treason.
This decision helps the ruling CCM party, which has been in power since 1977. With Chadema out of the race, CCM will likely win easily.
“Any party that did not sign the code of conduct will not participate in the general election,” Mr Kailima said on Saturday, adding that Chadema would also be banned from taking part in any by-elections until 2030.
Chadema refused to sign the election rules, saying the system is unfair. They want changes before they will agree to take part.
The October elections were supposed to be a chance for opposition parties to challenge President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Lissu was seen as her strongest opponent.
When Hassan became president in 2021, many hoped she would make Tanzania more democratic. But recently, opposition members say the government has been arresting and even kidnapping its critics. The government denies this.
CCM has ruled Tanzania for over 50 years. Opposition groups say the party stays in power by controlling elections and stopping fair competition.
Lissu’s campaign slogan was “No Reforms, No Election.” He says elections can’t be fair unless the government changes how they are organized. He especially wants the election commission to be independent, not chosen by the president.
The government says Lissu was trying to cause violence and rebellion. He is now in jail waiting for his trial to continue on April 24. His lawyer says the charges are just politics: “You cannot separate these charges from politics.”
This isn’t Lissu’s first trouble with the government. In 2017, gunmen shot his car 16 times, but he survived. He left the country after that, only returning in 2020 to run for president. When he lost, he left again, saying the election was rigged.
He came back last year after the government promised more freedom for opposition parties. But now, with the elections coming, the government appears to be cracking down again. Many worry this means Tanzania is going back to its old ways of silencing critics.
