October 29, 2025, was one of the most significant days in Tanzania, when voters were supposed to exercise their civic duty. However, protests broke out in Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city, and several other cities during the vote.

Demonstrators were enraged by the exclusion of the main opposition candidates in the presidential race and what they say is the increasing repression of government critics.

Tanzania police declared a curfew amid the growing unrest. The government deployed the military on the streets in a bid to restore public order following reports of vandalism, looting and attacks on polling stations, particularly in major cities. Internet disruptions were reported, and citizens had trouble communicating via mobile phones.

Unverified reports say there have been several deaths following Wednesday's skirmishes. The election, which incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan is widely expected to win, has been dominated by controversy, especially the treason trial of Tundu Lissu, leader of CHADEMA, Tanzania's main opposition party.

Lissu's party was barred from competing after it refused to sign the electoral code of conduct, citing the need for reforms. Luhaga Mpina, the presidential candidate for the ACT-Wazalendo party, another opposition party, was also barred from running.

Vote counting is ongoing, and the state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation has begun airing the announcement of provisional presidential election results, showing President Hassan has a commanding lead in various constituencies.

EU condemns 'unfair' Tanzania election

On Thursday, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) condemned the Tanzanian elections as neither free nor fair.

"These elections cannot be regarded as free and fair. The fraud did not begin at the ballot box — it has been unfolding for months," MEPs said in a joint statement.

"No election can be credible when the main opposition is silenced, when freedom of assembly and expression are denied, and when independent media are intimidated and censored," the statement added.

The European Parliament urged Tanzania's international partners to defend democracy and human rights, warning that "silence is not neutrality — it is complicity."

The government has denied these allegations, insisting that the election was conducted in a free, fair and transparent environment. It also rejects accusations of human rights violations and the abduction of opposition leaders during the campaign period.

Tanzania's image of peace on the line

Tanzania, once a symbol of peace and human rights under its first president, Julius Nyerere, has experienced a political decline since Hassan took office in 2021. 

Her government is accused of suppressing dissenting voices, detaining opposition politicians and excluding citizens from the political process. It has also deported foreigners it views as security threats. 

Blessing Vava, the executive director of Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a human rights advocacy group, who was denied entry on Tuesday, detained and deported after being declared a security risk on election day, says Tanzania is morphing into a dictatorship. 

"It is a shame that a country that hosted the liberation movements of Southern Africa and all the countries that were housed in Tanzania and became an inspiration because of the values that President Nyerere shared, is in sharp contrast to what we are seeing in the current leadership," Vava told DW.

"This deterioration not only impacts Tanzania but also casts a negative light on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African continent as a whole."

President Hassan's major challenge 

Current political developments in Tanzania present a significant test for Hassan, who was commended after taking office in 2021 for easing the repression of political opponents and censorship that had increased under her predecessor, John Magufuli.

 Analysts say there is a lack of legitimacy to whoever wins the elections. "There is a total lack of competition in this election," Fergus Kell, a research fellow with the Africa Program at Chatham House, told DW. 

"Any realistic competition in the presidential race has been eradicated through legal means," he explained, adding that the political developments feed into a long-term sequence in Tanzania.

"What we continue to see is essentially a de facto one party state, the constitution has not been overhauled since independence. There seems to be no appetite to change the default paradigm in Tanzania."

Political observers suggest Tanzania should institute constitutional reforms to restore legitimacy.

"There is need for reforms and the restoration of the rule of law. Tanzania needs to constitute a national dialogue to have a roadmap for reforms," Vava said.

Edited by: C. Mwakideu

This article was updated on October 31, 2025, to correct the name of the ACT-Wazalendo presidential candidate