PRESIDENT HASSAN OF TANZANIA ENDS 6-YEAR BAN ON OPPOSITION RALLIES

Wed 04 January 2023:

A ban on opposition rallies put in place in 2016 by her strongman predecessor has been overturned by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan as a gesture toward political rivals calling for the restoration of democratic traditions.

“According to our laws, it is the right of political parties to hold their public meetings… my presence today in front of you is to give permission… that the announcement to prevent public meetings is now lifted,” Hassan was quoted as saying by the local news source ITV on Tuesday.

During a meeting at her office in the nation’s capital, Dar es Salaam, she was addressing the 19 political parties that have been officially recognized in Tanzania.

“Just inform us as the laws require. Security organs will evaluate your requests. If there is any threat, they won’t allow you, but for the step we are in right now, they will definitely allow you to conduct your rallies,” added Hassan, who said her decision to lift the ban was part of her strategy of Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms and Rebuilding the nation, dubbed 4Rs.

During his first tenure as president, in 2016, former president John Magufuli imposed the ban. Though it was initially intended to apply to all political parties, detractors said it mainly targeted the opposition.

In 2018, the Magafuli-led government enacted legislation requiring bloggers, social media influencers, and online platforms to obtain a license and pay a one-time fee of $930 to keep their websites operational.

Three years later, Hassan came into power following the passing of Magufuli, who many dubbed “The Bulldozer” because they believed he suppressed free speech and singled out political opponents.

Constitutionally, the current president is in office until the end of Magufuli’s second five-year term, which is in 2025.

She has also been accused of carrying on with Magufuli’s authoritarian tendencies.

Despite seeking to make conciliatory moves to the opposition since taking office, critics have branded Hassan a “dictator” and fears remain about the state of political and media freedoms.

A newspaper run by the ruling party was suspended in 2021 as a result of an article it had published that said Hassan will not seek reelection in 2025.

However, Hassan has also previously removed a ban on four publications, and last year, when visiting Brussels, she visited exiled opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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