Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been cleared to contest the country’s October presidential election, but her path appears eased after the electoral commission disqualified key opposition challengers.

It will be Hassan’s first time seeking the presidency at the ballot box. She assumed office in 2021 following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. After her candidacy was confirmed, Hassan urged her Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party on X to “maintain unity to ensure victory for our party and for God’s permission to return to serve citizens.”

The National Electoral Commission on Wednesday disqualified Luhaga Mpina, candidate of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo), citing irregularities in the party’s nomination process. Mpina, a former CCM lawmaker who defected earlier this month, has been an outspoken critic of the government.

“This decision is not only shameful but it is raising more questions about the integrity, seriousness, professionalism and the independence of the electoral commission,” Ado Shaibu, ACT-Wazalendo’s Secretary General, said in a statement.

The move follows an earlier disqualification of the main opposition party, CHADEMA, in April. The party was barred after refusing to sign the electoral code of conduct in protest of what it described as unfair electoral reforms. CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu has been in prison for more than four months on treason charges, which he denies.

Lissu’s detention, along with recent reports of abductions of government critics, has drawn renewed attention to Tanzania’s human rights record under Hassan. The president, however, maintains that her administration is committed to upholding rights and freedoms.

With the nomination window closing Wednesday, Hassan is now positioned as the dominant candidate heading into the October 2025 vote, raising concerns among analysts and rights groups about the competitiveness of Tanzania’s electoral process.