Tanzania’s Hassan Cleared to Run in October Elec...

Tanzania’s Hassan Cleared to Run in October Election

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan

Zim Now Writer

Tanzania’s electoral commission has cleared President Samia Suluhu Hassan to contest the October 29 election, while blocking candidates from the country’s two main opposition parties.

The Independent National Electoral Commission confirmed Hassan and her running mate Emmanuel Nchimbi’s nomination on Wednesday, leaving her Chama cha Mapinduzi party to face only smaller challengers.

Chadema, the largest opposition party, was barred in April after refusing to sign the electoral code of conduct in protest over the need for electoral reforms. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, has been in jail since April on treason charges he denies.

On Wednesday, INEC also rejected papers from Luhaga Mpina of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo), Tanzania’s second-biggest opposition party. The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties said Mpina’s candidacy failed to meet nomination requirements following complaints from within the party.

Mpina, a former CCM lawmaker who defected this month, dismissed the ruling as politically motivated. ACT-Wazalendo secretary-general Ado Shaibu condemned the decision, saying it undermined the commission’s independence and professionalism.

Hassan, who became president in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, is seeking her first elected term. In a post on X after her approval, she urged CCM members to remain united “to ensure victory for our party” and prayed for the chance “to continue serving citizens.”

Nominations for presidential candidates officially closed on Wednesday.