Four pressing realities Suluhu must confront as she starts her second term

This video grab made from a video from the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) shows Samia Suluhu Hassan signing official documents as she takes the oath of office during her inauguration ceremony in Dar es Salaam.[AFP]

Tanzania’s presidential election has brought an unceremonious end to its reputation for calm. The country now finds itself mired in unrest. Reports of rioting and the government’s forceful response have stripped away the veneer of exceptionalism that once set the country apart. The Rubicon, it seems, has been crossed.

Tanzania’s democratic credentials have been steadily eroding – first under the late President John Pombe Magufuli, and now, more subtly, under his successor, President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Behind the mask of democratic order lies a tightening grip on political life marked by curbs on opposition activity, suppression of dissent, increased state control over media and persistent electoral malpractices.

Since independence, Tanzania’s political landscape has been shaped – indeed, constrained – by the dominance of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the ruling party that has presided over the country for decades. Its command of state institutions and marginalisation of opposition forces have entrenched its hold on power. Although successive presidents have exercised a measure of personal authority, their influence has largely been circumscribed by the party’s internal machinery and hierarchies. Suluhu is no exception. Her tenure, like those before her, rests heavily on the sustenance and favour of the CCM.

But the CCM seems unable – or unwilling – to adapt to the times. Its political playbook remains firmly rooted in the coercive tactics of the 1960s and 1970s. Dissidence is treated not as a feature of democracy, but as a threat to be crushed. Tundu Lissu, the outspoken leader of CHADEMA, the main opposition party, stands charged with treason and is detained. Independent media outlets have been shuttered, while social media is tightly policed. Reports of abductions and extra-judicial killings of government critics lend a chilling reminder that, for all its reformist rhetoric, Tanzania’s ruling party still governs by fear more than consent.

Suluhu faces four pressing realities. The era of authoritarianism, in which a self-styled benevolent ruler could claim to act in the public interest, is over. A younger generation, less deferential to age and status, is unwilling to accept decisions imposed from above. They demand a stake in governance, not merely acquiescence to top-down policies.

Second, while traditional media can be muzzled, social media proves harder to silence. Even amid reports of an internet blackout in Tanzania, images of police brutality have emerged. A digitally literate populace, adept at using virtual private networks, has ensured that the world remains aware of the events on the ground.

Third, violence – whether by the state or by private citizens – has become an increasingly visible feature of dispute resolution. It should not be. Long-standing enterprises have been reduced to ashes in a matter of hours, erasing decades of investment. Security forces, in turn, have responded with lethal force, and anecdotal evidence suggests that fatalities have reached unprecedented levels. This underscores the fragility of both commercial and civic norms in a country that has prided itself on relative stability.

Fourth, meaningful reforms in Tanzania must now move beyond the tokenism of charismatic leaders. A good starting point is the amendment of the Tanzanian constitution’s Article 41, which makes it impossible to challenge presidential election results in court after the electoral commission declares a winner.

Mr Khafafa is a public policy Analyst