In the wake of Tanzania’s hotly contested general elections on October 29, 2025, the nation has been thrust into a period of profound upheaval, marked by mass arrests, deadly violence, and mounting international concern over the state of democracy. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who secured a second term with an overwhelming—some might say unbelievable—majority of nearly 98%, now presides over a country grappling with its most severe political crisis in decades.
The days following the election have been anything but quiet. According to Al Jazeera and Central News, authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on opposition figures, particularly targeting Chadema, the main opposition party. Early on November 9, Amani Golugwa, Chadema’s deputy secretary-general, was arrested in Arusha, joining a growing list of party leaders who have been detained or charged. The government’s dragnet has ensnared not only senior figures like Tundu Lissu—Chadema’s leader, detained since April on treason charges—and vice-chairman John Heche, but also lower-level members, with police declaring an ongoing “serious manhunt.”
“We call on them to surrender to the police immediately,” police spokesperson David Misime stated, referring to several Chadema officials now on the run. The authorities’ aim, Chadema claims, is clear: “The government intends to charge our leaders with treason in an attempt to cripple the Party’s leadership and paralyse its operations.”
But the repression hasn’t stopped at the party’s upper echelons. Over 200 individuals have been charged with treason, a crime that, at least on paper, carries the death penalty in Tanzania—even though executions haven’t been carried out since 1994. Lawyer Peter Kibatala, representing some of the accused, confirmed that more than 250 people were arraigned in three separate cases, each facing conspiracy and treason charges. The government insists these actions are part of a legitimate investigation into violent unrest, but opposition leaders and rights groups see a calculated effort to silence critics and neuter any meaningful dissent.
The root of this turmoil lies in the disputed election itself. President Hassan’s margin of victory—over 97%—raised eyebrows both at home and abroad. The electoral commission’s announcement was met with skepticism, particularly given the exclusion of key opposition candidates from the ballot. Chadema’s leader, Tundu Lissu, was notably barred from running, having been detained months earlier. The party boycotted parts of the process, branding it a sham, and their supporters took to the streets in protest as soon as the results were announced.
Protests erupted in major cities, including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, and Mbeya, as well as the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, which has a history of electoral violence. Demonstrators, many of them young and frustrated by joblessness and corruption, demanded a fair vote and political reforms. What began as peaceful marches quickly spiraled into chaos, with security forces reportedly using live ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds.
The fallout was immediate and devastating. The police acknowledged widespread destruction of property, including burnt buses, vandalized bank teller machines, and government offices. But the true human cost remains shrouded in secrecy and conflicting reports. The government has steadfastly refused to release an official death count. The Catholic Church in Tanzania estimates hundreds of fatalities, Chadema alleges over 1,000 deaths—including more than 100 from their own ranks—and the Kenya Human Rights Commission claims the toll could be as high as 3,000, with thousands still missing. Brenda Rupia, Chadema’s head of communications, accused police of disposing of more than 400 bodies to hide the scale of the violence, stating, “Most bodies are still at the hospitals and the police are stopping people from taking dead bodies away.”
To control the narrative, authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown on election day, making it nearly impossible to share videos or photos of the chaos. Although partial access was restored by October 31, police warned against posting content that could “cause panic.” For many families, the blackout meant days of agonizing uncertainty as they searched for missing loved ones, while economic activity ground to a halt at border crossings and in major cities.
International observers have not been silent. The African Union, after sending a team to monitor the vote, concluded that the election “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.” Observers documented ballot stuffing and instances where voters were handed multiple ballots, further undermining the credibility of the process. The Southern African Development Community and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation echoed these concerns, citing violence and the exclusion of opposition candidates as evidence that the polls fell short of democratic standards.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed alarm, urging restraint and calling for independent investigations into the violence and arrests. The European Union and Commonwealth joined the chorus, highlighting credible reports of large numbers of fatalities, injuries, and pre-election intimidation of journalists and civil society. Human Rights Watch’s Oryem Nyeko pointed out that, “I imagine that in the coming days, once the internet restrictions are fully removed, people will be able to get a true sense of what has really taken place over the last week.”
President Hassan, sworn in for her second term on November 3 in a subdued ceremony, has largely dismissed the criticism. She blamed foreigners for stirring up unrest and maintained that the election was fair, pointing to orderly voting in some areas as evidence. “Most of the youth that were arrested doing bad things came from outside Tanzania,” she claimed, promising an internal security probe rather than an independent investigation.
Meanwhile, the climate inside Tanzania grows ever more tense. Chadema’s leadership, decimated by arrests and forced into hiding, continues to reject the election results and demand justice for the dead. “A lot has happened in the past three or four days ever since the election, and I know that the worst is yet to happen,” Brenda Rupia warned, her voice echoing the fears of many.
For ordinary Tanzanians, the events of the past weeks have left a trail of grief and uncertainty. Families mourn lost loved ones, communities reckon with the scars of violence, and the promise of democratic participation seems more distant than ever. The government’s refusal to provide a transparent accounting of casualties, coupled with its dismissal of independent investigations, has only deepened suspicions and fueled calls for accountability.
The Tanzanian crisis stands as a stark reminder of how fragile democracy can be when power is concentrated and dissent is criminalized. With mass arrests, disputed elections, and a government resistant to scrutiny, the road ahead remains uncertain. The choices made in the coming weeks—by leaders, courts, and citizens—will shape not only Tanzania’s future, but also the region’s prospects for justice and political pluralism.
