Chadema

History

In the 1995 general election, the party won 4 out of 269 seats in the National Assembly and 41 councillors nationwide.

In the 2000 election, the party did not have the presidential candidate but it won five seats in National Assembly elections held on the same day, along with 75 Councillors and three district councils: Kigoma, Karatu, and Tarime.

In the 2005 elections Chadema's presidential candidate, Freeman Mbowe, finished third out of ten candidates, with 5.88% of the vote. Chadema further increased its share in the national assembly as it continued becoming more and more popular, especially among younger people, and the party managed to install eleven members of parliament, in addition to 103 Councillors and the Chadema party retained the district councils of Kigoma, Tarime, and Karatu.

In the 2010 general elections, Chadema substantially increased its share of the national vote. Dr. Willibrod Slaa, Secretary-General of the party until August 2015, gained 27.1% of the vote in the presidential election, a substantial increase from the 5.88% of the vote gained by the Chadema candidate in the 2005 election. The party also won 48 seats, making it the second-largest party in the National Assembly. This was a first for the party. A further 467 Councillors and 7 District Councils were claimed by Chadema. Most of the seats won by Chadema (geographically) are constituencies found in major towns and urban areas of Tanzania, including Arusha, Moshi, Mwanza, Mbeya, and Dar es Salaam, the latter of which is Tanzania’s financial capital and its largest city.

In the general election of October 2015, Chadema joined with other political parties: CUF (Civil United Front), NLD (National League for Democracy), and NCCR-Mageuzi to form Umoja wa Katiba ya Wananchi (UKAWA) and the union was represented by one presidential candidate, Edward Lowassa.

Chadema designated the MP for Singida East, Tundu Lissu, as its presidential candidate for the 2020 Tanzanian general election. The election was held amid significant democratic backsliding and repression under president John Magufuli. Lissu received 1,933,271 votes, and Chadema lost 53 seats in the National Assembly, its worst loss ever since the party was founded in 1992.

In September 2024 chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu were arrested by the Tanzania police, in an effort to block protests against the government.

On 22 January 2025, Tundu Lissu was elected the chairman of Chadema, defeating Freeman Mbowe by 31 votes.

In April 2025, the party was disqualified from competing in the 2025 Tanzanian general election after the National Electoral Commission said it had failed to sign a code of conduct document that was due on 12 April, which occurred days after Tundu Lissu was arrested and charged with treason following a rally in which he called for electoral reform.

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Bunge elections

References

References

1. (2020-11-17). "Tanzania: 2020 presidential election". House of Commons Library.
2. (2018-09-26). "Chadema unveils reworked policy".
3. Peter, Felister. (20 October 2015). "Lowassa vows to improve Tunduma border post". IPP media.
4. (29 July 2015). "Lowassa quits CCM, joins Chadema". The Narok Newspaper Edition.
5. (5 February 2021). "Unfinished Business: Magufuli's Autocratic Rule in Tanzania".
6. (23 September 2024). "Tanzanian key opposition leaders arrested in Dar es Salaam". Al Bawaba.
7. Rukanga, Bassilioh. (22 January 2025). "Fiery Tanzanian politician Tundu Lissu elected to head opposition party". [[BBC]].
8. (13 April 2025). "Tanzania's main opposition party banned from election". BBC.