Tazania Presidential Elections 2025

by Marina Chauffaille

Tanzania held its general election on Oct. 29, 2025, to choose the president and members of the National Assembly. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner, extending her leadership for another five-year term. Hassan first assumed office on March 19, 2021, after the death of President John Magufuli, and completed the remainder of his term through 2025. Her reelection marked her first full mandate as head of state and government. She took the oath of office on Nov. 3, 2025.

Hassan’s initial presidential appointment in 2021 made her the first woman to serve as president of the United Republic of Tanzania. She entered national politics as vice-president in 2015 and held several ministerial positions, including as Minister for Union Affairs and President’s Office (Regional Administration). Her 2025 campaign emphasized continuing infrastructure development, advancing education access, strengthening regional integration and promoting women’s economic empowerment. The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party framed her candidacy around stability and continuity, citing her management of the COVID-19 recovery and expansion of the national digital economy. Analysts noted that she also sought more international cooperation between Tanzania and other nations, underscoring Tanzania’s role in East African trade corridors and climate-resilient agriculture.

The NEC organised and supervised the vote under the National Elections Act (Cap. 343 R.E. 2023). It reported nearly 37,700,000 registered voters, the largest electorate in the country’s history. The National Bureau of Statistics placed the population at nearly 61,000,000, with an average turnout of 63.49 % in past national elections. Polling stations opened across all 31 regions at dawn and closed by evening, completing the vote within a single day. The NEC confirmed that verification and certification would follow before publication in the Government Gazette, as required by law.

Headquartered in Dodoma, the NEC carried out its duties under Article 74 of the 1977 Constitution and the National Elections Act, which authorizes it to manage voter registration, candidate nomination, polling, counting, and the official declaration of results published in the Gazette. The High Court of Tanzania heard petitions contesting results. The NEC affirmed that the 2025 general election followed constitutional and statutory procedures.

That process unfolded within a political framework shaped over decades. Tanganyika gained independence from the United Kingdom on Dec. 9, 1961, and united with Zanzibar on Apr. 26, 1964, through the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar Act, forming the United Republic of Tanzania. The 1977 Constitution formalized this structure, establishing a unitary republic with two governments: a union government responsible for national and foreign affairs and a semi-autonomous government of Zanzibar managing internal matters through its own president and House of Representatives. A constitutional amendment in 1992 reintroduced a multiparty system, broadening political participation under the Political Parties Act and its Code of Conduct Regulations. The president served as head of state and government, while the National Assembly exercised legislative authority alongside the executive.

Tanzania also joined international conventions promoting equality and inclusion in public life. It signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women on July 17, 1980, and ratified it on Aug. 20, 1985. It signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on March 30, 2007, and ratified it on Nov. 10, 2009. These agreements reinforced constitutional guarantees of nondiscrimination and public participation.

Before the vote, international organizations urged Tanzanian authorities to protect electoral integrity. Human Rights Watch researcher Nomathamsanqa Masiko-Mpaka said, “Tanzania’s authorities should take immediate measures to protect the integrity of the October elections, which are currently at great risk.” The warning reflected concerns from observers about transparency and fairness. Human Rights Watch and other international monitors cited earlier elections in which opposition activity faced restrictions, including the 2020 vote that human-rights organizations said limited political freedoms, media access, and open campaigning. The NEC reiterated its constitutional authority, stating that officials conducted all procedures according to law and that certified results would be published after verification.

The 2025 election proceeded within the framework established after independence, continuing Tanzania’s record of orderly political transition. President Hassan’s new term began within that enduring structure, a reflection of the constitutional design that has guided the republic for more than sixty years.