Tanzania‘s 2025 Election Deemed Flawed by African union and SADC
Recent elections in Tanzania have drawn sharp criticism from both the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Growth Community (SADC),citing significant shortcomings in democratic standards and a violent crackdown on dissent. The concerns center around a lack of a level playing field, suppression of opposition, and a brutal response to post-election protests.
Following the election, protests erupted in Dar es Salaam and other cities, met with force by Tanzanian police who deployed tear gas and limited internet access. Chadema, the country’s main opposition party, alleges “hundreds of people were killed” during the unrest, a claim the government has denied. Al Jazeera reviewed videos documenting the violence, showing “dozens of bodies, including of people shot in the head, protesters with bloodied faces, and security forces firing guns in the streets.”
The AU mission has called on Tanzanian authorities to exercise restraint and conduct “thorough investigations” into the violence against protesters. Their report emphasizes the need for “electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of it’s democratic and electoral challenges witnessed ahead of, during, and after the 2025 General Elections.” The report further states the election was “not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes.”
SADC issued a similarly critical preliminary report on Monday, detailing “violence, censorship and ‘general intimidation’ of the public and opposition figures.” SADC concluded that “voters could not express their democratic will” and that the elections “fell short” of SADC principles. This marks a rare public rebuke by SADC, their last being directed at zimbabwe’s election in 2023.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan secured nearly 98% of the vote, but the election was significantly impacted by the disqualification of key opposition figures.Chadema was barred from competing in April after refusing to sign an electoral code of conduct, while ACT-Wazalendo, the country’s second-biggest party, was excluded following an objection from the attorney general.
Chadema’s leader, Tundu Lissu, also faces a treason trial after advocating for election reforms. SADC’s report directly linked these disqualifications to an “uneven political playing field” that undermined the democratic process.
Following her swearing-in, President Hassan reportedly blamed foreigners for the protests, stating, “it was not a surprise that those arrested were from other countries,” according to a translation by the Associated Press.
As assuming power in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, Hassan’s administration has faced repeated accusations from local and international watchdogs of engaging in forced disappearances, torture, assault of critics, and widespread media repression. A panel of United Nations experts reported in June that they had documented over 200 disappearances in the country since 2019.
