The Tanzanian government has suspended political rallies across the country until further notice, saying the move is necessary to maintain security in the country.
The government says it has identified security threats, including individuals allegedly found in possession of weapons while planning criminal acts.
The decision has been criticised by opposition groups, which say the suspension is unlawful. Opposition party ACT Wazalendo has said it will challenge the directive in court.
It comes amid reports of planned demonstrations calling for democratic reforms and accountability for the deadly suppression of protests after last year’s election.
The suspension marks a reversal of reforms introduced by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who lifted a six-year ban on political rallies in 2023 after restrictions imposed by her predecessor, John Magufuli.
At the time, Samia acknowledged that political parties had the right to hold rallies but urged them to be “civil” and not to “trade insults.”
When announcing the current suspension, Home Affairs Minister Patrobas Katambi told Parliament: “We should focus on building our economy.”
He highlighted an upcoming international trade fair that the country will host, “where we anticipate receiving guests from various countries.”
“During this period, we will not tolerate anyone who engages in any form of disorder.”
ACT Wazalendo has accused the governing CCM party of using state institutions to suppress the opposition. CCM has not responded to the allegations or commented on the government’s move.
Veteran opposition politician Joseph Selasini, from the Chadema party, said the government’s move came as opposition rallies had been drawing large crowds demanding justice for those killed in last year’s post-election violence.
During widespread protests that followed the results of the 29 October election, 518 people died from “unnatural causes”, including 197 who were shot dead, according to a commission of inquiry set up by President Samia to investigate the violence.
The scale of the violence was shocking for a nation that had cultivated an image of calm, consensus, and order for nearly six decades.
The two main opposition presidential candidates were blocked from contesting the 2025 poll.
Magufuli first banned political rallies between elections in 2016, in what was widely seen as an attempt to weaken the opposition.
He said they were a waste of time and money, adding that they distracted from the country’s key challenge of building the economy.
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