On Thursday, 11 December 2025, Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, called for the formation of a transitional Government overseen by the United Nations and African regional bodies after an election held on 29 October 2025 that it says was neither free nor fair.
Vice-Chair John Heche declared the election — won by the ruling party with over 97% — “null and void,” citing widespread legal and democratic violations, and demanded the dissolution of the national electoral commission. The disputed vote sparked days of deadly protests in which hundreds were reportedly killed and more than 2,000 people arrested, amid an internet shutdown that lasted 10 days.
Human rights groups documented a heavy security deployment ahead of additional planned protests, while regional observers from the Southern African Development Community concluded the election failed to meet democratic standards due to irregularities and restricted access for party agents. Chadema’s leader, Tundu Lissu, has remained in prison since April on treason charges linked to his calls for electoral reform. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, inaugurated after her landslide victory, pledged national unity while attributing the election-related violence to foreign interference.