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Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been cleared to contest in October’s presidential election.
It will be Hassan’s first time seeking the presidency through the ballot, having assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
After her nomination was approved, Hassan posted on X, urging her ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party to “maintain unity to ensure victory for our party and for God’s permission to return to serve citizens.”
Her path has been eased after the electoral commission on Wednesday disqualified the candidate of the country’s second-largest opposition party. Luhaga Mpina of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo) was barred over claims the party failed to comply with nomination procedures during its primaries.
Mpina, a vocal government critic and former CCM lawmaker, had only defected from the ruling party earlier this month. ACT-Wazalendo condemned the decision, with Secretary General Ado Shaibu saying in a statement:
“This decision is not only shameful but it is raising more questions about the integrity, seriousness, professionalism and the independence of the electoral commission.”
The main opposition party, CHADEMA, was already disqualified in April for refusing to sign the electoral code of conduct as part of its push for electoral reforms. Its chairman, Tundu Lissu, has been in jail for over four months after being charged with treason in April—a charge he denies.
Lissu’s detention, along with recent unexplained abductions of government critics, has drawn scrutiny to Hassan’s human rights record. She has maintained that her government is committed to respecting human rights.
Nominations for presidential candidates officially closed on Wednesday.
