A Tanzanian court on Monday ruled that opposition leader Tundu Lissu will stand trial for treason, rejecting his appeal for dismissal. Lissu, leader of the main opposition party Chadema, was arrested in April after demanding electoral reforms, and his party was barred from the ballot.
The ruling intensifies the government’s crackdown ahead of the October 29 vote, with rights groups warning of shrinking democratic space in Tanzania. President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration has faced mounting criticism for curbing political freedoms, with international monitors expressing alarm over escalating repression.
The judges’ decision clears the way for Lissu’s prosecution, with authorities accusing him of attempting to destabilise the nation through political dissent. Meanwhile, another blow struck the opposition when the attorney general disqualified Luhaga Mpina of ACT Wazalendo, the country’s third-largest party.
Mpina was initially barred last month for “lacking qualifications,” reinstated by the Supreme Court, and then disqualified again Monday on procedural grounds. His party condemned the move as politically motivated, accusing authorities of systematically erasing genuine competition from the electoral stage.
“Our candidate and our party have been denied justice,” ACT Wazalendo said, framing the decision as part of a broader campaign against pluralism. The party warned that President Hassan’s government seeks to “suppress and ultimately destroy the multi-party democratic system” in East Africa’s second-largest economy.
The bans and prosecutions have deepened fears that Tanzania is abandoning democratic commitments in favour of a tightly controlled political order. International observers say the mounting restrictions risk discrediting the legitimacy of the upcoming election and eroding the country’s democratic foundation. As the October polls approach, Tanzania stands at a crossroads between promised democratic renewal and the heavy hand of authoritarian control.