Elections begin in Tanzania, President Hassan expected to win – DW – 10/29/2025

Tanzania’s 2025 presidential race will take place without the main opposition parties as voting begins in Tanzania on Wednesday, leaving the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party virtually unopposed.

Tanzania’s largest opposition party, Chadema, is boycotting the upcoming presidential election after its leader Tundu Lissu was jailed on treason charges after calling for electoral reforms.

Presidential candidate Luhaga Mapina of the second-largest opposition party, the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo), has been disqualified by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Sixteen opposition candidates representing small parties are in the voting, but are not expected to pose a challenge to President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is widely expected to win a second term.

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President Samia Suluhu Hassan is widely expected to win a second term, especially since main opponents have been jailed or barred from contesting elections.

His party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has ruled since Tanzania’s independence in 1961.

Experts also say voter apathy could help Hassan win over promises of big infrastructure projects, recruitment of school teachers and universal health insurance.

In 2021, Hassan was praised after taking office for reducing the political repression and media censorship that had marked the rule of his predecessor John Magufuli.

However, over the past two years, rights groups and opposition figures have accused his government of kidnapping its critics.

“Authorities repressed political opposition and critics of the ruling party, stifled the media, and failed to ensure the independence of the electoral commission,” Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.

Polling stations across Tanzania opened on Wednesday for presidential and parliamentary elections, with more than 37 million people registered to vote.

Voting began at 7 a.m. local time (0400 UTC), with queues forming at polling places.

Polling stations are scheduled to close at 4:00 pm, after which counting of votes will begin.

Preliminary results are expected within a day, although officials have up to a week to declare the final results.

In addition to the president, voters will also elect 400 members of parliament as well as the president and representative of the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago.

With the ruling party dominating the campaign and calls for protest largely muted, analysts expect President Samia Suluhu Hassan to win comfortably.

Welcome to our coverage of the elections in Tanzania, where the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party looks to remain in power for decades.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to win after the two main opposition parties were barred from running.