Chadema demands transitional government, new constitution in Tanzania, calls October polls ‘illegal

Chadema Vice Chairperson John Heche who said that Tanzania’s October elections were invalid, calling for all results to be annulled and the electoral commission to be dissolved for lacking independence. (Photo: Chadema Tanzania)

By Rachael Mutabasi
Thursday, December 11, 2025

Tanzania’s Chadema party has rejected the 29 October 2025 elections, demanding a UN‑backed transitional government, new polls, rights reforms and accountability for alleged mass abuses.

Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), has called for the creation of a transitional government independent of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), to be overseen by international organisations including the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), and Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The party says this transitional government should restore political and civil rights, expand political space, release political prisoners, and organise new national elections that are free, fair, and credible.

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In a public statement issued on Thursday, 11 December 2025, Chadema Vice Chairman Mainland, John Heche, described the October 29, 2025 elections as invalid and called for all results to be annulled. He said the presidential, parliamentary, and councillor elections were conducted amid widespread violations of the law, democratic principles, and citizens’ rights.

"The entire election for President, Members of Parliament, and Councillors is invalid and lacks any legitimacy because it was conducted under massive violations of law, rights, and the principles of democracy. Chadema insists on the immediate annulment of all election results, and the dissolution of the so-called Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because that commission lacks independence, starting from the appointment of its members, its structure, and its duties. That body no longer has any legitimacy and is not trusted by Tanzanians to oversee a free and fair election," Heche said.

'Illegitimate leader'

Chadema described President Samia Suluhu Hassan as an illegitimate leader, accusing her government of relying on force, oppression, and political crime.

The party criticised the CCM regime for widespread political oppression before, during, and after the elections, citing the arrest of party chairman Tundu Antipas Lissu on politically motivated treason charges, restrictions on Chadema’s lawful political activities, freezing of party bank accounts, media censorship, nationwide internet and social media shutdowns, illegal curfews, and the shooting and killing of citizens.

"Samia Suluhu Hassan did not receive the consent of the people, who are the basis of all authority, and her government is illegal and oppressive because it is the result of a defiled election. Her leadership depends on force, oppression, and political crime. Due to the invalid election and the circumstances of authoritarian rule, Samia Suluhu Hassan has no legitimacy whatsoever to continue leading the country," the party stated.

The party reported mass killings, abductions, enforced disappearances, brutal torture, rape, and killings by security forces, claiming that over 2,000 people were killed and more than 5,000 injured in a single week.

Chadema demanded an immediate halt to these abuses, the release of abducted individuals, and the return of bodies to families for proper burials. The party also called for a credible, independent investigation involving both local and international members to establish the truth, locate mass graves, and hold perpetrators accountable.

Stop abductions, torture, murders

"Chadema demands the immediate cessation of all operations involving abductions, torture, murders, and disappearances of citizens, and that abducted Tanzanians be released. We insist on the presentation and handover of the bodies of all those killed before, during, and after 29 October 2025, to their families so that the bodies can finally be buried with honour and in accordance with Tanzanian customs," the party said.

Chadema also called for accountability from political leaders, public officials, and security personnel involved in human rights violations. It demanded major reforms of security institutions, including the establishment of oversight bodies, and insisted on compensation for families who lost loved ones or suffered bodily harm.

The party stressed the need to continue and complete the process for a new constitution to address long-standing electoral and governance issues.

Furthermore, Chadema urged the international community to impose sanctions on individuals responsible for crimes against humanity, ensure aid is directed to civil society organisations rather than the government, and block the sale of weapons to the state used against unarmed citizens.