More than 4000 people have taken forms to vie for the primary nominations to run for parliamentary elections in Tanzania.
But there are only 280 constituencies in Tanzania, which indicates a major scramble for the few national assembly seats across the nation.
These are so far the only hopefuls who want to contest for parliamentary seats via the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), according to the party chairperson, Samia Suluhu Hassan who is also contesting for the country’s presidency as an incumbent, in the forthcoming ‘polls,’ slated for October 2025.
“But we are going to filter them out during the party primaries,” said Samia while gracing a church function in Dar-es-salaam, urging unity after the polls, because at the moment many factions have materialized as people jostle for the few available slots.
The Parliament promises good pay in Tanzania. Many executives holding plum jobs have even quit their positions to seek the National Assembly positions.
According to President Samia, her party primary polls report, indicate that more than 30,000 other hopeful candidates have also expressed interest in contesting for the 396 Ward Councillor representative slots, countrywide.
So far it is only the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the ACT Wazalendo and a few other political parties that will be fielding candidates in Tanzania’s General Elections.
The main and biggest opposition party, the Chama Cha Democrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) has apparently pulled out of the race, citing possible irregularities in the planned polls whose supervisors, according to them, are also cadres of the ruling party.
Due to that therefore, the ruling CCM party is poised to secure a landslide victory according to experts’ analysis and with that in mind practically everybody is running for the party ticket.
Tanzania’s opposition parties instead of uniting against the dominant ruling party, they are instead constantly attacking each other and engaging in petty conflict over strategy or actions that undermine each other’s efforts.
The main opposition CHADEMA party will not participate in the elections, ceteris paribus, and the National Electoral Commission has already barred the leading opposition sect from the ballot.
On the other hand the main opposition figure Tundu Lissu remains in remand prison being charged with treason while an additional court order has effectively temporarily banned the party.
With CHADEMA out of the ballot, its charismatic leader in jail and party operations suspended, CCM will not be facing face any real competition in mainland Tanzania
Recent experiences from both the conduct and outcome of 2024, 2020 and 2019 elections also paint a very gloomy picture for prospects of opposition parties in the 2025 general election
Electoral changes made by the government in 2024 were dismissed by the opposition and activists as cosmetic, meaning that the conditions do not exist for a free, fair and credible election under the current constitution and electoral system