Tanzanians headed to the polls on Wednesday to elect their president and members of parliament in a vote closely watched across East Africa.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam, and in Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous archipelago that is also electing its own president and legislature.
Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan, 65, is seeking a new mandate after first assuming office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. Hassan, Tanzania’s first female head of state, represents the long-ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), or Revolutionary Party, which has dominated Tanzanian politics since independence.
The CCM is widely expected to maintain its parliamentary majority. In local elections held in 2024, the party won nearly 99 percent of available seats.
Security has been tightened across the country, and the National Electoral Commission reported that polling had opened smoothly in most regions. Preliminary results are expected in the coming days.
