A position of betrayal and exclusion of the main opposition attracts attention before October surveys in Tanzania.
The Electoral Commission of Tanzania has banned the main opposition party, Chadema, to dispute the presidential and parliamentary elections that will take place at the end of this year.
The Independent National Elections Commission (INEC) announced the decision on Saturday, stating that the party did not sign a mandatory conduct code agreement through the deadline required for surveys that are expected to take place in October.
“Any part that will not sign the completion code will not participate in the general elections,” said Ramadhani Kailima, director of elections of the Commission, adding that disqualification extends to all partial elections until 2030.
There was no immediate response from Chadema.
The announcement comes days later, the leader of Chadema, Tundu Lissu, was accused of betrayal, accused of inciting the rebellion and trying to prevent the elections from continuing.
The prosecutors said that he urged the public to take measures against the vote, thought that he was not allowed to submit a statement of guilt. The position entails the possibility of a death sentence.
Lissu, a former presidential candidate, has long been a vocal critic of the Ruger Party Chama Chamapinduzi (CCM) and its leader, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is looking for a second mandate.
Chadema had already warned that he would boycott the surveys unless significant electoral reforms were introduced.
Earlier on Saturday, the party confirmed that it would not attend the signing ceremony of the Code of Electoral Conduct, describing the movement as part of its broader campaign to boost the changes in the way in which the elections are held.
It is expected that the disqualification of Chadema and the case of betrayal against their leader raised new questions about the state of democracy in the nation of East Africa.
Human rights organizations and opposition groups have accused the government of holding the dissent, citing a pattern or kidnappings and inexplicable murders of political activists.
President Hassan’s government has denied any role in these alleged abuses and argues that he is committed to defending human rights. CCM has repeatedly rejected the accusations of undermining the opposition or manipulating the electoral process.