Tanzania’s October 2025 election will mark President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s first as a presidential candidate, despite her holding office since 2021. A former vice-president, President Samia came to power following the sudden death of her predecessor and is widely anticipated to win a new term for her CCM party. That would extend their unbroken rule in Tanzania since the country’s independence in 1961.
Key questions surrounding the 2025 polls include the systematic exclusion of leading opposition candidates, tightened restrictions on media, increases in reported abductions and attacks on activists, and the limited presence of external observer missions.
In this episode, Thomas Kibwana, Anna Bwana and Deus Valentine Rweyemamu join Chatham House’s Fergus Kell and Lisa Musumba to discuss the lead-up to Tanzania’s election and the long-term future for the country.
About Africa Aware
Africa Aware is a podcast from the Chatham House Africa Programme bringing together the best international experts to provide original analysis on issues affecting the individual states of Africa, their international relations, and the continent as a whole.
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