SADC releases preliminary damning election observation report on Tanzania

Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) has released a damning election observation report following Tanzania’s 2025 election in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with 97% of the votes.

Suluhu’s victory has been widely questioned after her government blocked access to the internet. This decision made it difficult for Tanzanians and election observers to follow the results timely.

With key opposition leaders under state’s detention going to the polls, Samia was overwhelmingly sure of a huge victory.

However, a report by SADC has highlighted electoral challenges, and points to a pre-polling day decision.

According to Richard Msowoya, former Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Malawi and Head of SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) to the 2025 general election of the United Republic Tanzania, in 85% of the polling stations observed, the presiding officer showed the empty ballot boxes to all present before locking and sealing them.

Two, the presence of police was observed at 96% of the polling stations. The Mission noted that in 88% of the polling stations observed, the police were not armed.

In some polling stations, the police were more than the number of voters. In Dar es Salaam, the Mission noted the heavy presence of the police and some major roads were closed;

Additionally, 89% of the polling stations observed were accessible to all voters,

including people with disabilities. In 96% of the polling stations observed, essential election materials were available in the correct quantity before opening.

The Mission noted a very low voter turnout in all polling stations observed. Some polling centres did not have voters at all. The Mission observed that in some polling stations observed, there were multiple orderly stacked ballots in the ballot box during voting, which created a perception of ballot stuffing, and an impression that individual(s) cast more than one vote at a time with the intention to cheat the election system;

The Mission could not generate polling, closing and counting statistics due to internet shutdown that negatively impacted the use of the SEOM

Read the full report here.