Tanzania’s main Oppn party faces election ban after leader was charged with treason

Der Es Salaam (Tanzania): Tanzania’s main opposition party faces exclusion from general elections set for October after its leader was charged with treason last week.

The CHADEMA party on Saturday boycotted an event for all parties to sign a code of ethics, violating a legal requirement for parties to participate in polls, Ramadhani Kailima, a director with the Independent National Electoral Commission, told reporters.

“Any party that did not come today will not be given the opportunity tomorrow,” Kailima said. “Therefore, if there is a party that has not submitted its declaration, it will not participate in this year’s 2025 elections or in any other by-election that may arise within the five-year period.”

Tundu Lissu, the leader of CHADEMA, was charged with treason on Thursday following his arrest at a public rally in which he called for electoral reforms ahead of elections.

The opposition leader was forced into a police vehicle late Wednesday following a speech at a rally in the southern town of Mbinga, which is more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital.

Tanzania will elect the president and members of parliament in the October elections.

The opposition in Tanzania has been calling for electoral reforms to ensure the upcoming vote is free and fair. In statement Saturday, CHADEMA said it opposed elections without “fundamental electoral reforms”.Human rights activists have accused the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of heavy-handed tactics against the opposition. The government denies the claims.

In 2017, three years before the last election, Lissu survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times. His party has been critical of laws that favour the ruling CCM party, which has been in power since Tanzania’s

independence in 1961.