DAR ES SALAAM – Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has officially been approved to stand in the country’s presidential election scheduled for October. This marks her first time running for the presidency, after assuming office in 2021 following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
After her nomination was cleared, President Hassan posted on X, urging her Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party to “maintain unity to ensure victory for our party and for God’s permission to return to serve citizens.”
Hassan now faces a political field largely cleared of strong rivals. The Electoral Commission disqualified Luhaga Mpina, the candidate of the second-largest opposition party, the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo). Mpina, a former CCM lawmaker and vocal critic of the government, was barred after complaints that his party failed to meet nomination requirements during the primaries.
“This decision is not only shameful but raises questions about the integrity, seriousness, professionalism, and independence of the electoral commission,” said Ado Shaibu, ACT-Wazalendo Secretary General, in a statement Wednesday.
The move follows the disqualification of the CHADEMA party in April, after it refused to sign the electoral code of conduct in its push for electoral reforms. CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu has also been jailed for over four months on treason charges, which he denies.
Recent detentions and unexplained abductions of government critics have drawn attention to Hassan’s human rights record, although the president maintains that her government remains committed to respecting human rights.
Nominations for all presidential candidates officially closed on Wednesday, setting the stage for what is expected to be a CCM-dominated race.
