Tanzanian voters cast ballots on Wednesday in presidential and parliamentary elections, following the authorities' decision to bar major opposition candidates from competing. President Samia Hassan faced only minor party challengers following the disqualification of candidates from Chadema and ACT-Wazalendo, the two largest opposition groups. Election officials stated that results would be available within three days, as more than 37 million registered citizens participated.
Hassan's Chama Cha Mapinduzi party has controlled Tanzania since 1977, with its predecessor leading the independence movement decades earlier. Rights organizations documented over 200 forced disappearances since 2019, with critics accusing the government of abducting opponents before the vote. United Nations experts urged Hassan to halt such practices, though she ordered an investigation last year without releasing findings.
The electoral commission removed Chadema after the party refused to sign a conduct agreement, while its leader, Tundu Lissu, faces treason charges he denies. Authorities also blocked ACT-Wazalendo's Luhaga Mpina following an objection from the attorney general. Hassan promised infrastructure development and universal health coverage to voters in a nation where the economy expanded 5.5 percent last year.
Hassan's Chama Cha Mapinduzi party has controlled Tanzania since 1977, with its predecessor leading the independence movement decades earlier. Rights organizations documented over 200 forced disappearances since 2019, with critics accusing the government of abducting opponents before the vote. United Nations experts urged Hassan to halt such practices, though she ordered an investigation last year without releasing findings.
The electoral commission removed Chadema after the party refused to sign a conduct agreement, while its leader, Tundu Lissu, faces treason charges he denies. Authorities also blocked ACT-Wazalendo's Luhaga Mpina following an objection from the attorney general. Hassan promised infrastructure development and universal health coverage to voters in a nation where the economy expanded 5.5 percent last year.
