Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema has rejected the presidential election results that declared Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner, saying no real election took place in the country.
The party accused the electoral commission of fabricating figures to give legitimacy to a process it described as fraudulent and manipulated.
In a statement issued on Saturday, November 1, 2025, Secretary General John Mnyika said the results announced by the electoral body had no basis in reality and did not reflect the will of Tanzanians.
Mnyika insisted that citizens were denied the chance to vote freely, claiming the political environment was full of intimidation, bias, and lack of transparency. He said the government and the ruling party created conditions that made it impossible for opposition candidates and supporters to participate freely.
According to him, the figures released by the commission were not the outcome of an election but a plan executed by those in power to maintain control. Chadema believes the entire process was predetermined, and the commission acted under the influence of the ruling party.
The opposition maintained its long-held position of “No Reforms, No Election,” arguing that without proper electoral and political changes, the country cannot hold credible polls.
Mnyika said the government ignored repeated calls for reforms, and as a result, the process turned into what he termed a “mockery of democracy.”
He accused the authorities of turning the election into a show designed to fool citizens and the international community.
Despite these claims, the National Electoral Commission stood by its results. Its chairperson, Jacobs Mwambegele, declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner with 31.9 million votes, representing 97.66 percent of the total.
He said the voter turnout was about 87 percent of the 37.6 million registered voters, describing the process as peaceful and transparent.
In her acceptance speech, Samia praised Tanzanians for what she called a successful election and said the outcome reflected the people’s confidence in her leadership.
But Chadema dismissed her remarks, saying she lacks legitimacy since Tanzanians were denied a fair opportunity to choose their leader.
The party announced it will not recognise Samia as president and urged the international community to also reject the results, insisting that the will of the people had been stolen.
