Continental and regional bodies have criticized Tanzania for holding elections that failed to meet the basic tenets of democracy.
Leading the onslaught is the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has stated that Tanzania's 2025 general elections failed to meet the standards set out in the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
The regional body cited restrictions on political participation, intimidation of opposition figures, and limits to electoral justice.
In its preliminary statement released on November 3, 2025, the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) noted that although the elections were largely peaceful and orderly on pre-election and election days, the overall environment did not allow voters to freely express their democratic will in many areas.
"While the polling process was generally calm and well-organized, the broader political environment was restrictive and did not provide an equal and open platform for all contesting actors,” SEOM observed in its preliminary report.
The report also highlighted a broader climate of restricted political participation.
It observed the arrests and disqualification of several opposition candidates, including legal proceedings involving Tundu Lissu and Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), as some of the impediments.
The SADC Observer Mission (SEOM) lamented that domestic observer groups faced limited accreditation and operational challenges.
On its part, the African Union reported and decried similar sentiments, stating that the systematic side-lining of the opposition dented the credibility of the elections.
"The environment surrounding the elections—before, during, and immediately after—was not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes," the AU preliminary statement said.
The 2025 election in Tanzania resulted in President Samia Suluhu Hassan securing a landslide victory with more than 97% of the vote, according to official results.
Her victory is, however, questionable, as two major political rivals were blocked from running.
Tanzania is an East African nation of about 70 million people, whose economy relies heavily on agriculture, mining, tourism, and natural gas.
The Picture
The picture shows Tindu Lissu an ooposition candidate who was barred from running
