For nations like Zimbabwe, where opposition rallies are difficult to hold because the ruling party, through the police, holds unilateral control, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s decision to lift the ban on political rallies and his pledge to protect the opposition during elections have set an example.
Hassan has overturned a six-year ban on political gatherings that her late predecessor, president John Magufuli, put in place in 2016, a year after he took office, on the grounds that they may degenerate into violence and dissent.
She urged Tanzania to adopt new “decent politics.”
“Our responsibility is to protect you to hold political rallies peacefully, finish well and leave safely, the president says. Your responsibility as a political party is to follow the laws. Let’s do mature, civilized politics. Let’s do politics to build, not tear down,” she said.
