Before the election, the opposition calls for constitutional revisions and more independence for the electoral commission.
Thousands of people rallied in Tanzania on Wednesday against planned election law amendments, the largest public rally since the government relaxed a ban on opposition political meetings in January 2023.
Chadema, Tanzania's major opposition party, organized the gathering in the capital city of Dar es Salaam as parliament prepares to consider a slew of contentious election reforms proposed by the government next month.
"This is just the beginning," Chadema leader Freeman Mbowe assured the gathering, adding that demonstrations would expand from Tanzania's economic hub to other regions until the government addressed their concerns.
He addressed Chadema fans wearing red, white, and blue and chanting songs. Protesters held signs with their primary demands: drop problematic electoral laws, handle rising living expenses, and secure independent control of the 2024 local government elections.
The march drew attention from both observers and locals, representing a communal plea for change.
Nasser Ali, a resident of the poor Buguruni area, showed sympathy for the cause, stating, "I am not a member of Chadema, but I support the cause they are fighting for, which is why I decided to join them."
Tanzania is set to conduct its first presidential election in 2025, after President John Magufuli died in March 2021 and his deputy, Samia Suluhu Hassan, took over as head of the East African country.
Mbowe, who has served time in prison under both leaders, said the measures did not address worries about the 2020 election, which Magufuli won by a landslide despite opposition allegations of fraud.
Chadema has been advocating for constitutional revisions, and more independence for the election commission to be included in the legislation parliamentarians will discuss this February.
Mbowe referred to the plans as "cosmetic," with specific objection focused on a clause allowing Hassan to choose five of the electoral commission's ten members personally.
"We want to tell the government to withdraw the bills, which intend to protect the ruling party," opposition activist Mdude Nyagali said during the event.
Since assuming office, Hassan has attempted to undo some of her predecessor Magufuli's more severe measures, which earned him the moniker "Bulldozer."
Even within the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, Hassan rehabilitated numerous members whom her predecessor had sacked. Tundu Lissu, one of the country's most renowned opposition leaders, returned from exile when she lifted the ban on opposition gatherings in January 2023.
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