Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema, has been arrested alongside other party leaders in the south-western region of the country.
The arrests reportedly stem from allegations that the politicians violated election campaign regulations set by local authorities. However, the opposition party’s director of communications has strongly refuted this claim, describing it as a deliberate attempt to disrupt Chadema’s campaign efforts.
“The Citizen Tanzania” quoted party official John Mrama, who dismissed the police’s justification for the detentions.
Earlier this week, Chadema raised concerns over the disqualification of many of its candidates from participating in the November 27 polls, which the party has described as “unfair.”
This is not the first time opposition figures in Tanzania have faced arrests. In September, Mbowe, his deputy Tundu Lissu, and other key Chadema members were briefly detained after riot police intervened to stop a planned rally in Dar es Salaam.
The latest arrests highlight the increasingly charged political environment in Tanzania ahead of the presidential election scheduled for late 2025.
