Tanzania held regular multiparty elections after its transition from a one-party state in the early 1990s, though the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has retained power for over 60 years. Samia Suluhu Hassan became president in 2021 upon the death of President John Magufuli, who had cracked down on critics in the opposition, media, and civil society. After a brief period of liberalization President Hassan has engaged in similarly repressive tactics. She was reelected in a 2025 poll in which major opposition figures were banned from competing and hundreds of people were killed in a violent crackdown on dissent.

• General elections held in late October saw countrywide antigovernment protests and widespread, lethal state violence in response. Demonstrations erupted on election day and in the days afterward, as citizens protested a contest in which major opposition candidates had been banned from participating. The Tanzanian regime responded with brutal repression, with emerging videos and images suggesting that much of the violence was indiscriminate. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the number of resulting deaths was in the hundreds, and noted “disturbing reports” that security forces were “moving bodies from streets and hospitals” to undisclosed locations in an attempt to conceal evidence. During this period, internet services were restricted, social media platforms were blocked, and a nationwide curfew was imposed. Three days after the polls, Samia Suluhu Hassan, the incumbent president, was announced as the winner with over 97 percent of the vote.
• Following the elections, the regime cracked down on freedom of expression, assembly, and association. Hundreds of people were detained immediately following the polls, and at least 240 had been charged with treason by early November. Celebrations for Independence Day, a public holiday in December, were canceled and a nationwide ban on demonstrations was issued to prevent planned protests. Many individuals who had spoken out about planned demonstrations were detained.
• Tundu Lissu, leader of the opposition Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) remained in detention at the end of the year after his arrest in April. He was charged with treason and “publishing false information” in connection with Chadema’s “No Reforms, No Election” campaign to boycott the year’s general election if electoral reforms were not passed. Chadema was barred from standing in the elections shortly after Lissu’s arrest due to its refusal to sign a code of conduct. In September, the opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo) candidate Luhaga Mpina was also barred from running. A wave of arrests and abductions of opposition figures and rights activists took place ahead of the elections.
• Religious authorities were targeted during the year. In June, authorities deregistered a church in Dar es Salaam owned by CCM lawmaker Josephat Gwajima after he spoke against detentions and enforced disappearances by the government. The letter justifying the deregistration claimed that Gwajima’s sermons violated allowable behavior of religious organizations. In May, Charles Kitima, a Roman Catholic priest and head of the Catholic bishops’ organization, the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), was physically attacked by two unidentified people. He was also known for criticism of the government.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2026 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.