Latest news with #IndependentNationalElectionsCommission
Gulf Today
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Tanzania bans opposition party from fighting polls
Tanzania's election commission had disqualified the main opposition party from contesting the national elections due later this year. The reason cited was that CHADEMA, the opposition party, did not sign the code document by Saturday. Also, the leader of CHADEMA, TIndu Lissu, has been charged with treason because he asked the people while addressing a rally that they should not take part in the elections because the government is not carrying out the electoral reforms which would make the elections a fair process. The opposition believes that the electoral process as it exists now favours the party in power. Ramadhani Kailima, director of elections at the Independent National Elections Commission, said, 'Any party that did not sign the code of conduct will not participate in the general election.' He also said the ban would extend to by-elections to be held till 2030. President Samia Suluhu Hassan is accused of cracking down on the political opposition, which she denies. The rights groups and the opposition have pointed to a series of abductions and killings as evidence of the government's crackdown on dissidents. The government has opened investigations into the killings and kidnappings. Hassan's ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), says it respects human rights. The charges of treason brought against Lissu have been based on the address he gave to his party supporters. The chargesheet quoted from his speech: 'It is true we say we will prevent the election. We will inspire rebellion. That is the way to get we are going to spoil this election. We are going to really are going to spoil it very badly.' It is to be seen whether these remarks of political defiance can be termed treasonous. The chargesheet says that Lissu made these statements in the capital, Dar-es-Salaam. Lissu's lawyer Rugemelaza Nshala said, 'You cannot separate these charges from politics. He was doing campaigns to educate Chadema supporters, but they have turned it into charges.' When Hassan came into office after winning the election in 2021 she had promised to undo some the repressive measures adopted by her predecessor John Magufuli. And she did win plaudits for her liberalising stance. But criticism has mounted against her of late. Even as political tensions seem to be on the rise, Tanzania and India are co-hosting largescale multilateral exercises under the Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKME), and the participating countries are Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa. While the Indian contingent is led by the Indian Navy, that of Tanzania is led by Tanzanian People's Defence Force (TPDF). So, Tanzania is taking the lead in a pan-African initiative, which is also a reflection of the country's status among the African countries. The question does arise whether Tanzania, and it is not alone, can balance the internal political conflicts which are not surprising in a democracy, and its external profile as an influential player in the emerging continent of Africa. Suluhu has tried to open up the country internally and externally. Internally she had lifted the ban on political rallies that her predecessor had imposed when she became president in 2021. And externally she had tried to open up Tanzania to the world by encouraging tourism. In many African countries, politics becomes polarised in no time. The opposition suspects that the ruling party manipulates to stay in power, and in protest it raises the rhetoric of resistance. And the governments react with alacrity. This seems to be pattern in the ban on CHADEMA and the arrest of Lissu. Both sides will have to pull back from the brink as it were to keep the democratic processes alive.
Arab News
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Tanzania opposition party barred from upcoming elections
DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania's main opposition party has been disqualified from upcoming general elections, the country's election chief said, after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct. The east African nation has increasingly cracked down on its opposition ahead of a general election due in October. The opposition Chadema party has accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan of returning to the repressive tactics of her predecessor, John Magufuli. Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, who was arrested and charged with treason earlier in the week, previously said that his party would not participate in the polls without electoral reform. On Saturday, Chadema said the party's secretary-general John Mnyika would not attend an Independent National Elections Commission meeting to sign the government's electoral code of conduct. The decision was 'informed by the lack of a written response' to the party's 'proposal and demands for essential electoral reforms,' it said in a statement. INEC Director of Elections Ramadhani Kailima said following the meeting that 'any party that hasn't signed today will not be allowed to take part in the general election or any other elections for the next five years.' 'There will be no second chance,' he told reporters. He did not mention Chadema by name, and the party has not commented on the INEC's decision. Tanzania is scheduled to hold presidential and national assembly elections in October. President Hassan's party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi swept to victory in local elections last year. Chadema said those elections had been manipulated, and that it would petition the high court to demand reforms ahead of the upcoming polls. Lissu last year warned that Chadema would 'block the elections through confrontation' unless the electoral system was reformed. The opposition's demands have been long ignored by the ruling party. Hassan was initially feted for easing restrictions imposed by Magufuli on the opposition and the media in the country of 67 million people. But rights groups and Western governments have criticized what they see as renewed repression, with the arrests of Chadema politicians as well as abductions and murders of opposition figures.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tanzania's main opposition party banned from election
Tanzania's main opposition party has been barred from participating in this year's election, days after its leader was charged with treason. Ramadhani Kailima, director of elections at the Independent National Elections Commission, said that Chadema had failed to sign a code of conduct document that was due on Saturday, meaning the party was disqualified from October's elections. Last week, Chadema's leader Tundu Lissu was arrested and charged with treason following a rally in southern Tanzania at which he called for electoral reforms. The latest development will boost the ruling CCM party's hopes of retaining power after almost six decades in office. "Any party that did not sign the code of conduct will not participate in the general election," Mr Kailima said on Saturday, adding that Chadema would also be banned from taking part in any by-elections until 2030. Earlier on Saturday, Chadema had said that it would not participate in a code of conduct signing ceremony, as part of its drive for voting reforms. The country is due to vote in parliamentary and presidential elections, where Lissu was expected to challenge incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan. When Hassan first came to power in 2021, after the death of her predecessor John Magufuli, she was praised for reversing some of his more authoritarian tendencies. Campaigners and opposition parties have since accused Hassan's government of an intensifying crackdown on political opponents, citing arrests and abductions of opposition members. The government has denied the accusations and launched an investigation into the abductions. One of the longest-reigning parties in Africa, CCM - or Chama Cha Mapinduzi - has governed Tanzania since 1977. Under the slogan "No Reforms, No Election", Lissu has argued that there was no possibility of free and fair elections without changes to how elections are run in Tanzania. Lissu said that the make-up of the electoral commission needed to change and should not include people directly appointed by Hassan. Authorities accuse Lissu of seeking to disrupt the election and incite a rebellion. He has been remanded in custody and his treason case adjourned until 24 April. His lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, told Reuters that the charges were politically motivated, adding: "You cannot separate these charges from politics." The opposition leader has been arrested on numerous occasions and in 2017 survived an assassination attempt in which his vehicle was shot 16 times. He then went into exile, returning briefly in 2020 to run against Magufuli in that year's election. He left after the results were announced, complaining about supposed irregularities. He then returned again in 2023, following changes introduced by Samia which her government said were aimed at allowing greater opposition freedom. Tanzania's opposition leader charged with treason Fiery Tanzanian politician Tundu Lissu elected to head opposition party Tanzania opposition youth leader dumped at beach after abduction Why Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger
Al Jazeera
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Tanzania opposition party barred from upcoming elections
Tanzania's electoral commission has barred the main opposition party, Chadema, from contesting presidential and parliamentary elections due to take place later this year. The Independent National Elections Commission (INEC) announced the decision on Saturday, stating that the party failed to sign a mandatory code of conduct agreement by the required deadline for the polls expected to take place in October. 'Any party that did not sign the code of conduct will not participate in the general election,' said Ramadhani Kailima, the commission's director of elections, adding that the disqualification extends to all by-elections until 2030. There was no immediate response from Chadema. The announcement comes days after Chadema leader Tundu Lissu was charged with treason, accused of inciting rebellion and attempting to stop the elections from going ahead. Prosecutors claimed he urged the public to take action against the vote, though he was not permitted to enter a plea. The charge carries the possibility of a death sentence. Lissu, a former presidential candidate, has long been a vocal critic of the governing Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party and its leader, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is seeking a second term. Chadema had already warned it would boycott the polls unless meaningful electoral reforms were introduced. Earlier on Saturday, the party confirmed it would not attend the signing ceremony for the electoral code of conduct, describing the move as part of its broader campaign to push for changes in how elections are conducted. The disqualification of Chadema and the treason case against its leader are expected to raise new questions about the state of democracy in the East African nation. Human rights organisations and opposition groups have accused the government of clamping down on dissent, citing a pattern of unexplained abductions and killings of political activists. President Hassan's government has denied any role in these alleged abuses and maintains it is committed to upholding human rights. CCM has repeatedly rejected accusations of undermining the opposition or manipulating the electoral process.
