Daily News Tanzania

(file photo).

Observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have said intimidation, arrests, and an internet shutdown prevented citizens from freely exercising their democratic rights during Tanzania’s 2025 general election.

In its preliminary report released, the SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM), led by former Malawian Speaker Richard Msowoya, said the election fell short of the bloc’s principles for democratic polls. The mission, which deployed 80 observers across 27 regions, documented harassment of its monitors, including the confiscation of passports and deletion of photos in Tanga.

According to SEOM, the ruling party is dominant in state media, social media is restricted, and constitutional barriers prevent the submission of election petitions. It called for sweeping reforms to strengthen democracy and gender equality. Most African leaders, including Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, congratulated President Samia Suluhu Hassan on her re-election, avoiding mention of the violence. The SEOM’s report echoed its earlier criticism of Zimbabwe’s 2023 election and left little doubt that Tanzania’s poll failed to meet democratic standards.