Tanzania excludes EAC and SADC from election observer list

By Newsflash Team

Tanzania’s Independent National Electoral Commission has cleared 12 Western observer missions to monitor the country’s upcoming general election slated for October 29.

Notably absent from the list are regional blocs such as the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), despite Tanzania’s membership in both. The approved missions include 11 Western embassies based in Tanzania—namely Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, the UK, the US, and the EU delegation—as well as the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.

This move comes amid heightened international scrutiny over what many see as increasing authoritarianism in Tanzania’s electoral landscape. Concerns have grown over the government’s apparent disregard for democratic norms, particularly its handling of opposition demands. President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration has come under fire for cracking down on dissent, reminiscent of controversial electoral cycles in 2019, 2020, and 2024, which were tainted by allegations of widespread vote rigging to benefit the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.

Opposition locked out

The electoral environment has further deteriorated with the exclusion of main opposition party Chadema from the 2025 polls. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, is currently in custody awaiting trial on treason charges linked to his push for electoral reform. Public trust in the process has eroded further after the electoral body revealed it had registered 37.6 million voters, despite the country having 36.9 million people under the age of 14 according to the 2022 census.

In last year’s local government elections, supervised by the Ministry for Regional Administration and Local Governments, 31.28 million Tanzanians reportedly voted—yet the outcome was marred by accusations of inflated voter rolls, including names of underage individuals and deceased citizens, enabling ballot stuffing in favour of CCM.

This year’s voter roll represents a 26 percent increase from the 29.7 million registered for the 2020 general election. The electoral commission said the register had been revised in two phases, starting in July 2024 and concluding on July 4, 2025. On July 19, the commission’s director of elections, Ramadhani Kailima, explained that observer missions must submit the names and deployment locations of their representatives via an online accreditation platform before receiving official guidelines for their work.

New law grants broad powers to electoral body

In addition to international observers, the commission has accredited 76 local civil society organisations, although prominent watchdogs like the Legal and Human Rights Commission are notably absent.

Under the new Presidential, Parliamentary and Councillor Elections Act, passed in February 2024, the commission has full discretion to accept or reject observer applications and issue identification letters to those cleared to monitor the polls.

The law also spells out grounds for revoking observer status, including immigration breaches or violations of national laws.

Observers are barred from any form of campaigning or public endorsement of candidates. However, those approved will have the right to monitor all stages of the election, move within authorised areas, and access polling stations to observe voting and counting procedures. While Chadema is locked out, all of the country’s remaining 19 registered political parties are expected to field candidates in the election.