Tanzania’s president ends 6-year ban on opposition rallies

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lifted a ban on opposition rallies imposed in 2016 by her predecessor, in an overture to political rivals seeking the restoration of democratic traditions.

President Suluhu Hassan has been under pressure to break with the hard-line policies of John Magufuli, who died in 2021 after a six-year-rule in a country once seen as a democratic beacon in East Africa.

Magufuli had come to power in 2015 as a no-nonsense man of the people but presided over a sustained crackdown on dissent and political freedoms, earning the nickname “Bulldozer” for his authoritarian leadership style.

Early in his tenure, Magufuli banned political rallies, saying it was time for work, not politics.

But critics said the ban applied only to opposition groups, with the ruling party free to assemble while rival gatherings were violently broken up by police.

While addressing a gathering of political leaders who were invited to the State House in Dar es Salaam, Samia Suluhu declare that the ban on political rallies is now lifted. She said the government will be responsible for ensuring security during rallies, but urged all politicians to also practise civilised politics.