On 3 January, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced that she had lifted the ban on political rallies imposed in 2016 by her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli, with the main aim of cracking down on political dissent. The president’s announcement came on the sidelines of a meeting with leaders of nineteen opposition parties at State House in Dar es Salaam.
By Bonface Witaba
Magufuli’s ascension to the presidency in 2015 saw a deterioration in the state of human rights in Tanzania. In 2016, Magufuli’s government passed the Media Services Act in an attempt to censor journalists, opposition and human rights activists critical of the government and the president. The law resulted in the suspension of four newspapers and several online media platforms. The suspensions provoked a reaction from the Tanzania Media Council, the Legal and Human Rights Centre and the Tanzania Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, which filed a joint complaint with the East African Court of Justice, the judicial body of the East African Community to which Tanzania is a signatory.
Tanzania goes to five-yearly local government elections in 2024, and presidential elections are scheduled for 2025. The end of the ban on political rallies is a major victory for Tanzania’s political discourse, as it creates a level playing field for actors in the political ecosystem.
Critics have always considered Tanzania as a “one-party hegemonic regime under the rule of the Revolution Party”. This is because, as long as a political ban was in place in the country, only politicians aligned with the Revolution Party were able to engage in normal political activities, as their opposition counterparts were harassed and detained by state security agencies for attempting to do the same. The lifting of the ban therefore offers a ray of hope after Tanzania celebrated 30 years of multi-party democracy.
Speaking to the media in the presence of various opposition leaders she had convened, Suluhu revealed that the decision was driven by her “four Rs philosophy” (reconciliation, resilience, reforms and reconstruction), and based on the recommendations of a working group on constitutional reforms comprising the ruling party and the opposition, among other stakeholders.
“The organisation of rallies is a right of political parties, as dictated by our constitution. According to our reconciliation talks with the various parties, this has been the main problem. Therefore, I am lifting the ban today,” she said, amid resounding applause and a standing ovation from members of the various political parties present.
In addition, Suluhu revealed that in due course a work group comprising political parties, civil society organisations and Tanzanians from all walks of life would be formed to launch a new constitutional reform process and develop the stalled 2014 draft constitution which, in her view, cannot be implemented now because it has already been overtaken by events….
She added that other urgent reforms would focus on revamping the electoral body known as the National Electoral Commission, amending laws banning political parties and reforming the judiciary, among others.
Suluhu’s move comes at a time when the country is facing a series of repressive laws institutionalised over the years by the authorities to silence critics and members of the political opposition. The lifting of the ban on political rallies elicited views from various Tanzanian political leaders, parties and human rights groups.
Zitto Kabwe, leader of the opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency party, was elated in an interview with national broadcaster TBC1: “What the president has done is to restore the constitution. It has not been an easy road. Since 2021, we have had inter-party conventions and many things have been discussed. The subsequent meetings and discussions have brought us here [the lifting of the ban]. The president kept her promise. We have started the year well. It is a year of revolution and political reforms… a year of rule of law,” she said.
Freeman Mbowe, leader of Tanzania’s main opposition Party for Democracy and Progress, said in an interview with Global TV online: “We have received President Samia’s statement ‘positively’, albeit with great caution. Our nation has had a system of suppression of democracy for a long time, from the national to the local government level. It is right that the president has allowed public meetings, which were a constitutional and legal right in our nation, to continue. This is a good thing. Similarly, the president mentioned the start of the constituent process, but it is obvious that all these things need time, and constant consultation. The laws that need to be improved are numerous, the main thing that the president has said is that the improvement of these laws will be inclusive and collaborative. This is an important thing.
Fatma Karume, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist, and former president of the Tanganyika Law Society tweeted:
Today, Samia Suluhu Hassan has shown that:
- She is not afraid of political competition
- Respects the Constitution she swore to protect
- Respects democracy
- Respects our right to participate in politics
- Understands that Tanzania belongs to all of us.
Proud of it Proud to be Zanzibari today!
Onesmo Olengurumwa, national coordinator of the Tanzania Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, tweeted:
Let’s get something straight, I see many journalists using the expression “political rallies are now allowed”. Political rallies were already allowed by the constitution, whatever happened at that time [the Magufuli era] was in defiance of the constitution. Now we have a president [Samia Suluhu] who has decided to protect the constitution. Her Excellency has done well to lift the ban.
Amnesty International researcher Roland Ebole said. “We applaud the decision to lift the blanket ban on political rallies, which has been used to arbitrarily arrest and detain prominent opposition politicians who organised rallies,” Ebole said. “Participating in and organising rallies is a right, not a privilege, and does not require state authorisation,” he stressed.
On its Twitter page, the Polish embassy in Tanzania tweeted:
‘We congratulate Her Excellency, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and the political parties of Tanzania on the lifting of the ban on political rallies of opposition parties. Another positive step towards an active multi-party democracy.
Martin Otieno, commander of the Dodoma Regional Police, assured the political parties at a press conference that, following the president’s directive, the police would duly collaborate with all parties in the Dodoma region, which includes the capital. Otieno requested the political parties to follow established procedures to ensure security during their political rallies.
Could this latest development in 2023 be President Suluhu’s legacy and lead to a paradigm shift in Tanzania’s political landscape? Tanzanians can only wait to find out.
Translated by Gabriela García Calderón Orbe
