The African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) has raised serious concerns about the credibility of Tanzania’s October 29, 2025, General Elections, saying that the process was marred by irregularities, including cases where some voters were issued multiple ballots.

In its Preliminary Statement on the October 2025 General Elections in the United Republic of Tanzania, released on November 5, 2025, the AU mission said the incidents undermined the integrity of the vote and called for urgent constitutional and electoral reforms.

The mission, led by former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and supported by former Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, deployed 72 observers across 17 regions of Tanzania and Zanzibar to monitor the elections. Their findings pointed to several challenges in both the pre-election environment and election day procedures.

The AU observers reported that, while the voting process started peacefully in the morning, the situation later turned chaotic in several regions due to protests, curfews, and an internet shutdown that made it difficult to transmit reports.

The report explicitly states that at some polling stations, irregularities were witnessed during the voting process, including instances where election officials failed to follow proper verification procedures.

“At some of these stations, certain voters were allowed to vote without their identities being checked on the voter register. These voters were also given multiple ballots to vote in full view of observers.”

“The Mission also observed some ballot stuffing at several polling stations, where voters were issued multiple ballots to vote, compromising election integrity,” It further adds.

These findings appear in Section C.2 (“Voting Day”) and Section C (“Closing and Counting”) of the preliminary statement, confirming that the issue of multiple ballots was observed directly by AU monitors.

Opposition faced major hurdles

The mission said most polling stations had the required materials, and the conduct of police officers was generally professional. However, it noted that many polling stations opened late due to poor preparation. Observers also encountered resistance from some polling officials, who were reluctant to share information.

The agents were mainly from CCM in 96.9 per cent of the stations visited and ACT-Wazalendo in 39.9 per cent of those stations. The AU mission also highlighted the impact of the internet shutdown, which started around 11:00 a.m. on election day and lasted until after the mission’s departure. The blackout restricted communication, data transmission, and observation activities.

Beyond the technical issues, the mission raised broader questions about the fairness of the electoral process. It noted that opposition parties faced restrictions ahead of the vote, including the arrest of CHADEMA leader Tundu Lissu and the disqualification of ACT-Wazalendo presidential candidate Luhaga Mpina.

The main opposition party, CHADEMA, boycotted the elections, citing the government’s refusal to implement key electoral reforms. The AU observers said these developments created an uneven playing field and weakened the credibility of the elections.