election violence

This paper argues that the 2025 elections in Tanzania were both qualitatively and quantitatively distinct from all previous elections held since the reintroduction of the multiparty system in 1992. While the six preceding elections –1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 – were regarded as unfree and unfair, none were characterised by the scale of overt violence observed in 2025. The 2025 elections thus represent a significant escalation in state repression, signalling a clear shift to a new and more entrenched phase of authoritarianism. Tanzania’s electoral regime appears to have transitioned from a competitive authoritarian system to a hegemonic authoritarian one. In this context, the paper argues that the intensified repression of 2025 marks the consolidation of that transformation. To understand the dynamics of the 2025 elections, it is necessary to trace developments back to previous elections, particularly those of 2015, which revealed important underlying trends that have culminated in the unprecedented levels of repression and violence. The analysis divides Tanzania’s multiparty electoral history into two periods, 1995–2015 and 2020–2025. Drawing on theories of elections under authoritarian contexts, the paper analyses these periods to explain the evolution and conduct of the 2025 general elections.