The leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, Freeman Mbowe, has been released on bail after being arrested on Friday, just days before the local elections scheduled for 27 November.
On Saturday, Chadema announced its release via the social media platform X, stating: ‘President Freeman Mbowe (…) and other leaders detained at Vwawa police station have been released on bail’.
Mbowe’s arrest was reportedly linked to a pre-election rally. Following his release at around midnight, he spoke to journalists, dismissing the accusations as baseless.
He also said that the arrest was a deliberate attempt to disrupt Chadema’s planned campaigns. Mr Mbowe also said that some party members were still in custody and that he and others had been summoned to appear before the authorities on 29 November. He intends to consult a lawyer about the matter.
The upcoming local elections are being closely watched as a key test of Tanzania’s political landscape ahead of the presidential election scheduled for October 2025.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has implemented some measures to ease restrictions on the media and the opposition since taking office in 2021, but human rights activists say arbitrary detentions continue.
Under Magufuli, opposition rallies were violently disrupted by the police and their leaders were often arrested. Notably, leading Chadema figures Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu were attacked by unknown assailants, both of whom claimed the attacks were politically motivated.
The renewed opposition protests mark a new impetus for political openness and reform in Tanzania, echoing the changing political landscape under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
