Tanzania lifts 6-year ban on opposition political rallies

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) – Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday lifted a ban on rallies of opposition parties imposed in 2016 by her predecessor John Magufuli.

Hassan announced the decision in a televised address after meeting leaders of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party and the main opposition CHADEMA in the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam.

“I have come here to allow those meetings. I have come to lift the ban on public political rallies and I am saying the ban is officially lifted,” she said.

She said opposition parties have the right to hold rallies and the government is fully prepared to provide security for their gatherings.

In a separate statement from the presidency, Hassan said any rallies will have to be held “in accordance with the law and existing regulations.”

She also urged political parties to criticize and advise the government in a civilized manner.

The ban on opposition rallies was just one of a raft of repressive laws enforced by Magufuli, who ruled from September 2015 until his death in March 2021.

Analysts say his regressive policies severely trampled on fundamental basic rights such as freedom of speech and assembly, and led to a sense of fear among citizens and politicians alike.

“I think this is a very important move which will obviously provide political mileage to the president, and also certainly iron out differences with foreign donors who were increasingly disturbed by actions that curtailed democracy in Tanzania,” Max Mmuya, a political scientist and former lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, told Anadolu Agency.

Mmuya said the government’s effort “to reverse the pattern of rights abuses and demonstrate a genuine commitment to the rights of freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly … is an impetus to democracy and development.”