INEC urges political tolerance ahead of 2025 General Election
DODOMA: THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairperson, Justice Jacobs Mwambegele, has called on political party supporters to conduct themselves with civility during the upcoming campaigns and to refrain from actions that could jeopardise peace and stability.
Justice Mwambegele made the appeal in Dodoma during a high-level national meeting between the electoral body and political parties to discuss preparations for the 2025 General Election and enhance collaboration among stakeholders ahead of the elections.
“The campaign period often brings heightened political tensions caused by a lack of tolerance among some individuals—an attitude that may threaten the peace and stability of our nation,” said Justice Mwambegele.
He emphasised that transparency remains a central priority for the Commission throughout the electoral process, noting that INEC has consistently involved stakeholders—particularly political parties—at different stages of election planning and implementation.
“For instance, today we are meeting with you, honourable leaders of political parties, and from July 30 to August 3, 2025, we will hold meetings with other election stakeholders,” he said.
“This meeting is not the last of our engagements with you. We will continue to hold similar or related meetings throughout this election period.”
Justice Mwambegele expressed optimism that the 2025 General Election will be successfully conducted, citing the strong cooperation demonstrated by political parties during the recent update of the Permanent Voter Register.
“You have been quick to offer suggestions, share advice and seek clarification whenever needed during our meetings. We sincerely thank you for that,” he noted.
“Once again, I wish to thank you for responding to our invitation and participating in this important meeting, which matters to all of us.”
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He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to involving political stakeholders as much as possible, in line with the Constitution, laws, regulations and procedures governing electoral conduct.
INEC, he added, is taking deliberate steps to ensure the 2025 polls are free, fair, transparent and credible, guaranteeing a level playing field for all candidates and political parties.
According to the latest INEC data, a total of 37,655,559 Tanzanians have registered to vote in the October 29, 2025 elections—marking a significant 26.55 per cent increase from the 29,754,699 voters recorded in 2020.
Justice Mwambegele explained that the Commission registered 7,641,592 new voters, equivalent to 136.79 per cent of the initial projection, while an additional 4,291,699 voters updated their information, reaching 98.23 per cent of the anticipated figure.
Of the total registered voters, 36,650,932 are from Mainland Tanzania and 1,004,627 are from Zanzibar.
