In the general elections held on 29 October 2025, President Samia Suluhu Hassan was re-elected President of Tanzania, and her party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), secured a majority in the legislature. Concurrently, the President and members of the House of Representatives for the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar were also elected. The polls unfolded against a backdrop of heightened political tension and ultimately resulted in a process that was condemned by domestic and international observers.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of the presidential election with 97.66% of the vote. Her ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), secured an overwhelming majority in the legislature, winning 270 of the 272 directly elected seats. In Zanzibar, the incumbent President Hussein Mwinyi of the CCM was re-elected with 74.8% of the vote.
The political climate leading up to the 2025 elections was deeply contentious. Hopes for democratic reform, initially raised by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s assumption of office in 2021, proved short-lived. An initial relaxation of restrictions on political rallies and the media was followed by a severe contraction of civic space, effectively dismantling any prospect of a competitive election. The main opposition party, Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), boycotted the elections, citing the government's failure to implement meaningful electoral reforms. This was compounded by the arrest of its leader, Tundu Lissu, on treason charges, and the disqualification of the presidential candidate for the second-largest opposition party, ACT-Wazalendo, Luhaga Mpina.
Whilst the proportion of registered voters had increased by 26.55% since the 2020 elections (50.31% of whom were women and 49.69% of whom were men), the SADC Mission observed “a very low voter turnout in all polling stations… Some polling centres did not have voters at all”, citing the lack of a legitimate opposition on the ballots as the main deterrent. They also noted “a perception of ballot stuffing” in some polling stations: “an impression that individual(s) cast more than one vote at a time with the intention to cheat the election system”. In contrast, the Tanzanian Electoral Commission claimed a 86.78% voter turn-out.
Protests against the elections started in all regions of the country on election day. Similar to those in Kenya and Madagascar, the protests were largely perceived to be led by a Gen-Z cohort, and reports suggest that the protestors represented “a broad demographic spectrum of Tanzanians”.
The announcement of the results also triggered widespread protests, which were met with a violent response from state security forces. Days after the election, the opposition party CHADEMA reported that around 700 people had been killed in clashes. An investigation by CNN documented evidence of police using deadly fire on protesters and identified signs of mass graves, which the government denies. Concurrently, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) received reports of hundreds killed and detained in the post-election turmoil. Later reports by legal and human rights organisations and medical associations estimate the deaths to range between 5,000 and 10,000, with thousands more still missing or unaccounted for; they also highlight the government’s secrecy and lack of transparency in reporting accurate figures.
In response to the protests, the government imposed a nationwide curfew and nationwide internet shutdown from 29 October to 3 November 2025 and blamed unspecified ‘foreign actors’ for attempting to interfere with democratic processes. During these five days, police and military were observed in the streets of all major cities, inter-city travel was restricted, and the Tanzanian media were unable or did not report on the protests. 240 individuals were arrested on treason charges related to the protests, including a Tanzanian influencer ‘Niffer’ (Jenifer Jovin), who, prior to the elections, shared to her over 2 million Instagram followers where to buy gas masks in anticipation of being tear-gassed. However, she was later released, and President Hassan has ordered the withdrawal or reduction of some of the charges against “all young people who were seen participating in the October 29 protests simply by following the crowd, noting that some of them did not understand what they were doing.”
The conduct of the elections drew sharp criticism from international observers. Missions from both the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) concluded that the elections failed to comply with democratic standards, citing an uneven playing field, violence, and intimidation. The SADC mission concluded that "voters could not express their democratic will".
Women’s Political Participation
In the 2025 elections, Tanzanian women achieved notable gains. At the executive level, women's visibility was significant. Of the 17 candidates who contested the Union presidency, three were women (18%). Furthermore, nine of the 17 running mates were women, constituting 53% of the total. This includes President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who became Tanzania's first woman president in March 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. In the Zanzibar elections, three of the 11 presidential candidates were women.
There was a marked increase in the number of women who stood for election to the National Assembly. Of the 1,729 total candidates, 558 were women, representing 32.3% of the total field. It is an increase from 23.3% in 2020. In stark contrast to the national trend, women's representation at the local level remains low. Only 9.6% of candidates for Local Council elections were women, with just 700 female candidates out of a total of 7,289.
Following the 2025 polls, women hold 153 of the 387 seats in the National Assembly, constituting 39.3% of the total membership. Of these, 37 women were directly elected, 115 were indirectly elected and one woman was appointed by the President. The total number of women in the National Assembly is expected to rise to at least 159 once all 16 vacant seats are filled.
In President Hassan’s new cabinet, four (4) of the 27 Ministers are women (14.81%), and 10 of the 29 Deputy Ministers are women (34.48%). The four female ministers are:
- Ms Judith Kapinga, Minister of Industry and Trade
- Ms Angellah Kairuki, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology
- Dr Dorothy Gwajima, Minister of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups
- Dr Ashatu Kijaji, Minister of Natural Resouces and Tourism
The President appointed her daughter as the Deputy Minister of Education and her son-in-law as the Minister of Health.
Following Hassan’s assumption of office in 2021, the proportion of women ministry leaders significantly increased from when her male predecessor led the government. As of 2024, the proportion of women in ministerial-level positions in Tanzania was 28.57%. Bucking Hassan’s original trend of appointing more women to senior cabinet positions, the proportion of women leading cabinet ministries has almost halved following the October 2025 elections to 14.81%.
In Zanzibar, President Mwinyi announced a new cabinet on 13 November 2025, currently comprising 16 ministers and 11 deputy ministers. Four ministerial posts have been reserved for the opposition party ACT-Wazalendo, in line with the Zanzibar Constitution, should the party choose to join the Government of National Unity. ACT-Wazalendo has been given 90 days from 1 November 2025 to make the decision. Of the appointed ministerial positions, there are five female ministers:
- Dr Saada Mkuya Salum, Minister of State, President’s Office (State House)
- Rahma Kassim Ali, Minister of Lands and Human Settlements Development
- Lela Muhamed Mussa, Minister of Education and Vocational Training
- Anna Athanas Paul, Minister of Social Development, Gender, Elderly and Children
- Riziki Pembe Juma, Minister of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports
Legislative, policy, and other reforms on women’s rights
The primary legal mechanism driving women's parliamentary representation is the legislated quota established in the Constitution of Tanzania. Article 66 of the Constitution mandates that 30% of the seats be reserved for women. Additionally, Article 13 guarantees equality and prohibits discrimination.
Challenges to women’s political participation and representation
The wider political environment presents significant obstacles to women's participation. Stakeholders reported persistent challenges related to gender-based violence. While institutions such as Police Gender Desks exist, observers noted concerns about delayed investigations, lack of training, and victims' fear of reporting. The overall climate of lethal force, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests creates a disproportionate effect on women and other marginalised groups, for whom the barriers to entering public life are already higher.
MEWC’s 2025 study with the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development found that in Tanzania, reserved seats have also generated criticism for creating a perceived hierarchy between special-seat and constituency-based Members of Parliament. Research shows that women in reserved seats often lack access to the same political resources and decision-making authority, limiting their influence within the legislative process.
Conclusion
In the 2025 Tanzanian General Elections, President Samia Suluhu Hassan was reelected, and women obtained 153 of the 387 seats in the National Assembly. While women’s representation increased following the polls, the outcome was overshadowed by the profound democratic and human rights failures that defined the electoral process. The 2025 polls were boycotted by the main opposition and condemned by international observers as failing to comply with democratic standards.
The primary obstacles to advancing women's equal and substantive political participation in Tanzania are now deeply intertwined with the country's broader democratic crisis. The severe post-election violence, arbitrary arrests, internet shutdown, and general suppression of dissent have created a climate of fear. These concerns have been echoed by international and civil society organisations. Echoing the Tanzanian opposition parties, the African Union mission also called for "urgent constitutional reforms and inclusive politics" to address the systemic challenges observed.