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Parts of Dar es Salaam and Dodoma witnessed heavy deployments of security officers as roads were sealed off and patrols intensified. Gunshots were heard in Mwanza, where crowds flooded the streets before security forces responded.
The PS also pointed out that Tanzania has its own channels for handling internal issues and encouraged Kenyan citizens to allow the neighbour to manage its situation. He emphasised that Kenya wishes Tanzania stability as it navigates unrest following a contested election.
The Parliament lamented that instead of giving citizens a voice, the electoral period became a symbol of democratic erosion marked by intimidation, legal persecution and deliberate exclusion of dissenting voices. Lawmakers said the electoral environment had been compromised long before voting day, noting a pattern of arrests, restrictions on assembly and censorship.
The announcement came after a tense polling day marked by street demonstrations, chaos, and clashes in several regions across the country. Security officials confirmed that the curfew aims to restore calm amid reports of ongoing unrest.
More than 37 million registered voters are set to decide whether President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who assumed office in March 2021 after the death of John Pombe Magufuli, will secure a full term.
They urged Tanzanian authorities to allow Heche’s family and lawyers access to him and to publicly demonstrate that he is being treated humanely. The statement cautioned that continued silence from the state could amount to an enforced disappearance and a violation of both national and international human rights laws
According to the announcement, the President used her authority under the Public Holidays Act to set the date as a non-working day, giving both public and private sector employees time to cast their ballots.
Lissu, who finished second in the 2020 presidential race, was arrested in April and charged with treason over what prosecutors claim was a speech urging the public to rebel and disrupt the upcoming election. The vote is scheduled for later this month.
The PS in a statement issued on October 2, 2025, said the development follows consultations between the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania.
After the ruling, the treason charge was formally read out in court. Lissu admitted making the statements cited in the charge sheet but rejected the accusation of treason, insisting that “his words were political.”
The new rules, set to take effect on November 1, 2025, aim to regulate cross-border deals and prevent anticompetitive practices within the bloc.
Mpina's disqualification came on the eve of the official campaign period, which begins Thursday, August 28, and deepens concerns over the narrowing space for opposition politics in the country.