In May 2015, Kikwete denied reports that his government planned to extend his term beyond his constitutional mandate and assured the nation that he was 'leaving in October'. C., President Kikwete said that he is looking forward to his retirement and described the presidency as being both 'stressful and thankless.' When asked as to why some African leaders cling to power, Kikwete replied that every country is different and suggested the interviewer 'invite these leaders and talk to them'. Īt the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D. The Tanzanian diaspora were not allowed to vote in this election. By 2 August, NEC succeeded in registering 24,001,134 voters, although the final number was 23,254,485. In June 2015, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimated that there were 24,252,927 eligible voters based on the adjusted national population census. As per the directive of the Bretton Woods Institutions, political and economic reforms were implemented in the 1990s.Īll eligible voters were registered using the Biometric Voters' Register (BVR) kits. Since then, a two-term presidential limit has been in place. This is part of the legacy of its first president, Julius Nyerere, who led the one-party state for 24 years until his resignation in 1985. Unlike most of its neighbours, Tanzania–mainland has enjoyed relative political stability since attaining independence in 1961. Tanzania is a unitary, democratic, secular and de jure socialist state. Tanzania received a foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow of $2.14 billion in 2014 – the highest in the East African Community (EAC) region. Kikwete has presided over an average economic growth of 7% over the past decade. Chadema securing its largest-yet number of seats.

In the National Assembly election, the CCM maintained its supermajority in parliament, but key figures in the previous cabinet suffered defeats in their constituencies. On 29 October, CCM's Magufuli was declared the winner of the presidential election ahead of Chadema's Lowassa, who has yet to concede amid a dispute. A ban on witch doctors was imposed in January 2015, as some of them condone the killings due to superstitious beliefs that the victims' bodies 'possess powers that bring luck and prosperity'. The government had warned politicians to refrain from engaging in witchcraft, and a deputy minister told parliament that reports linking politicians with the killings of people with albinism could be true as it increases during the election period. This year's election was seen as the most competitive and unpredictable in the nation's history. After failing to secure the CCM's nomination, Lowassa defected to the opposition Chadema party despite it once labelling him as 'one of the most corrupt figures in Tanzanian society'. Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the country's dominant ruling party, selected Works Minister John Magufuli as its presidential nominee instead of the front-runner, former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa. The incumbent president, Jakaya Kikwete, was ineligible to be elected to a third term because of term limits. Political campaigns commenced on 22 August and ceased a day before the polling day.

By convention, the election was held on the last Sunday of October and was supervised by the National Electoral Commission (NEC). Voters elected the president, members of Parliament, and local government councillors. General elections were held in Tanzania on 25 October 2015.

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