Tanzania held national elections on Wednesday, a vote widely expected to secure another term for President Samia Suluhu Hassan after candidates from the two largest opposition groups were blocked from running.
The polls will determine the presidency, members of the 400 seat National Assembly and leadership positions in Zanzibar, the semi autonomous islands off Tanzania’s coast.
The absence of major opposition contenders has led critics to question the fairness of the vote.
The ruling CCM party, in power since 1977, faced only minor party challengers after the electoral commission barred CHADEMA and ACT Wazalendo from the presidential race. CHADEMA was disqualified in April when it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct.
Its leader, Tundu Lissu, remains on trial for treason, charges he denies. The commission also rejected the nomination of Luhaga Mpina from ACT Wazalendo following an objection from the attorney general.
“There is no election in Tanzania. If I may sum up properly, it is a coronation,” Deogratius Munishi, CHADEMA’s secretary for foreign affairs, said in an interview with Citizen Television in Kenya.
Polls opened at 7am local time in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital. Early turnout appeared light and there were no signs of protests despite calls from activists online.
After casting her ballot in the administrative capital Dodoma, President Hassan urged citizens to take part.
“I urge all Tanzanians, those who are still at home, to come out and exercise their right and vote and choose their preferred leaders,” she told reporters.
A voter in Dar es Salaam, businessperson Juma Mtali, told Reuters his experience was smooth. “This election came with pressure from the youth about protests but as of now it is very peaceful,” he said. “Everything is going very well.”
The electoral commission said results will be released within three days.
Hassan’s party traces its roots to the movement that led Tanzania to independence in the 1950s. It has held power continuously since 1977.
She has campaigned on expanding infrastructure and boosting access to electricity. Hassan has also promised to hire more teachers in the next five year term if she wins.
Her image and campaign materials dominate streets across the country of about 68 million people.
Hassan took office in 2021 after the death of former president John Magufuli. Early in her tenure, she received praise from rights groups for easing restrictions on speech and allowing opposition rallies that had been banned.
In the past two years, however, critics say the political environment has tightened again. Amnesty International last week accused authorities of suppressing dissent, including reports of opposition members being abducted. The government rejected the allegations and said the vote meets legal standards.
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Africa Digital News, New York
