Tanzania’s main opposition party has elected a new leader ahead of the general elections scheduled for October, during a period of increasing political repression. Freeman Mbowe, who had served as Chadema chairman for two decades, congratulated his successor, former deputy Tundu Lissu, on Wednesday.
“I congratulate Hon. Tundu Lissu and his colleagues on being entrusted with the responsibility of leading the party,” Mbowe posted on X.
This leadership change comes amid a crackdown on opposition figures in Tanzania, alongside internal divisions within the Chadema party that analysts believe could undermine its prospects in the upcoming elections.
The party’s general assembly, which elects a chairperson every five years, began on Tuesday and continued late into the night.
Lissu, Chadema’s presidential candidate in the 2020 general election, accused Mbowe of staying in power for too long and pledged to reform the party.
A lawyer by profession, Lissu served as an MP from 2010 to 2017, surviving an assassination attempt during that time.
On Sunday, President Samia Suluhu Hassan was unanimously nominated as the presidential candidate for her ruling CCM party.
Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the sudden death of her authoritarian predecessor John Magufuli, was initially praised for easing restrictions on the opposition and media in the country of about 67 million people.
However, rights groups and Western governments have criticised what they see as a return to repression, citing arrests of Chadema politicians as well as abductions and killings of opposition figures.
Lissu warned last month that his party would “block the elections through confrontation” unless electoral reforms were made.
The demands of Chadema have long been ignored by the ruling party. Abel Kinyondo, a lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, cautioned that Chadema’s “recent internal wrangles risk disappointing voters.”
“I think they need to re-strategise after the elections,” he added.
Chadema has yet to select its candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
