Tanzania Bars Main Opposition Party Chadema From 2025 General Elections

Tanzania has barred its main opposition party Chadema from taking part in the country's 2025 General Elections, reported some African media. The ban is said to have been announced by the country's electoral body on April 12, 2025.

Tanzania bars main opposition party Chadema from 2025 General Elections

According to the announcement, Chadema was barred from the forthcoming general elections, as well as all by-elections until 2030, after refusing to sign a code of conduct document that was due on that day. The announcement continued that Chadema's refusal to ink the document invalidated the party's participation in the mentioned elections.

Tanzania's 2025 General Elections are scheduled for October 2025. They are 2-tier, entailing a presidential election and parliamentary elections.

Accordingly, Chadema not participating in the forthcoming general elections will imply that the party will have no members of parliament (MPs) for the forthcoming 5-year parliamentary mandate period that spans 2025 - 2030. That may pose a serious dilemma for Chadema particularly in its drive for reforming the electoral system that it perceives as flawed, simply because strategically, political changes in multipartyism are best attained through the parliament.

Also, depending on how Chadema will deal with the rather precarious political situation, and response of the populace to it, the party may still prevail without MPs if it can maintain current popularity in its stronghold parts of the country. Otherwise, it may shrink considerably and lose its status hence political influence as the main opposition party in Tanzania.

The ban of Chadema from the 2025 General Elections comes just days after its recently elected leader Tundu Lissu was charged with treason in connection with his party's push for electoral system reforms that was mentioned earlier. Since then he has been languishing in incarceration in Dar es Salaam because treason is a nonbailable offense in Tanzania.

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