DAR ES SALAAM. Four senior leaders of the opposition Chadema party were released on bail on Monday amid ongoing tensions over the disputed October 29 general elections.
The released leaders included John Heche (Deputy Chairman Mainland), Amani Golugwa (Deputy Secretary General Mainland), Godbless Lema (Central Committee Member), and Boniface Jacob (Coast Region Chairman) were detained for their alleged roles in organizing protests that turned deadly, claiming numerous lives according to human rights groups.
Their release followed violent protests sparked by the exclusion of prominent Chadema leader Tundu Lissu from the presidential ballot, a move the party claims rigged the elections. Chadema has accused the government of suppressing dissent in a statement issued earlier this week.
“Citizens did not participate in the October 29 election due to an environment that was neither free nor fair, and because of the absence of a levelled political playing field,” said Chadema.
The international community, African Union (AU), and Southern African Development Community (SADC) voiced strong condemnation and deep concern over the disputed and violent Tanzanian elections held on October 29, 2025.
The United Nations has called for investigations into reported fatalities and injuries caused by security forces, amid a government-imposed internet blackout that obscures the true scale of the crisis.
The AU’s election monitoring mission, in a report dated November 5, declared the elections failed to meet democratic standards.
“The election ‘did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections,” said AU.
The mission also cited ballot stuffing, abductions, and excessive force as compromising integrity.
Similarly, SADC’s rare rebuke detailed violence, censorship, and general intimidation of opposition figures and the public.
The International Commission of Jurists, alongside other human rights groups, condemned the electoral violence and growing reports of intimidation, harassment, and human rights violations.
The Catholic Church in Tanzania has also condemned the violence, urging justice