{"id":123835,"date":"2025-10-30T06:07:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T06:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/30\/tanzanian-electoral-reforms-long-overdue-kisumu-lawyer-says\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T06:07:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T06:07:26","slug":"tanzanian-electoral-reforms-long-overdue-kisumu-lawyer-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/tanzanian-electoral-reforms-long-overdue-kisumu-lawyer-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Tanzanian Electoral Reforms Long Overdue, Kisumu Lawyer says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>KISUMU, Kenya, Oct 30 \u2013 A prominent Kisumu-based lawyer and former East Africa Law Society president James Aggrey Mwamu has called for urgent electoral reforms in Tanzania, saying the country stands at a \u201ccritical democratic crossroads.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a press statement on Thursday, Mwamu said Tanzania\u2019s current electoral framework undermines democratic accountability and limits citizens\u2019 right to political participation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTanzania must open up its political space and strengthen its electoral institutions,\u201d Mwamu said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout meaningful reform, the promise of democracy in the region will remain unfulfilled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mwamu, who once chaired the East Africa Law Society, recalled a 2013 constitutional conference in Mombasa where Tanzania\u2019s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) admitted that results from its 2010 presidential election had never been officially certified.<\/p>\n<p>He described the revelation as \u201cdeeply troubling,\u201d noting that Tanzanian law still provides no legal mechanism for challenging election results.<\/p>\n<p>The Kisumu lawyer also cited the long-standing ban on independent candidates in Tanzania as another obstacle to political inclusivity.<\/p>\n<p>He referenced the landmark case of Reverend Christopher Mtikila, who successfully challenged the ban at the African Court on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights, though the ruling has yet to be fully implemented.<\/p>\n<p>Mwamu compared Tanzania\u2019s current situation to Kenya\u2019s own struggle for electoral reform in the late 1990s and early 2000s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKenya learned, through painful experience, that genuine democracy requires credible institutions and open competition,\u201d he said. \u201cTanzania can draw from that lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mwamu urged Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to prioritize constitutional and electoral changes that would restore public confidence in the system.<\/p>\n<p>He added that regional cooperation and the strengthening of legal frameworks across East Africa are essential for lasting peace and development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStrong democracies make for a stronger East Africa,\u201d Mwamu said.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, Tanzania held general elections in which more than 37 million citizens were eligible to vote, including for the president, parliament and local councils.<\/p>\n<p>The sitting president, Samia Suluhu Hassan of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), who assumed office in 2021, was seeking her first full term but faced a field devoid of major opposition candidates after key challengers were disqualified or jailed.<\/p>\n<p>The polls were marred by significant unrest, including protests in Dar es Salaam, curfews, internet shutdowns, and reports of voter apathy.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KISUMU, Kenya, Oct 30 \u2013 A prominent Kisumu-based lawyer and former East Africa Law Society president James Aggrey Mwamu has called for urgent electoral reforms in Tanzania, saying the country stands at a \u201ccritical democratic crossroads.\u201d In a press statement on Thursday, Mwamu said Tanzania\u2019s current electoral framework undermines democratic accountability and limits citizens\u2019 right 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