Tanzania\u2019s main opposition party CHADEMA has been disqualified from elections due later this year, a senior election commission official said on Saturday, days after the party\u2019s leader was charged with treason for allegedly seeking to disrupt the vote. <\/p>\n
Ramadhani Kailima, director of elections at the Independent National Elections Commission, said CHADEMA had failed to sign a code of conduct document due on Saturday, thereby nullifying its participation in the presidential and parliamentary elections expected to take place in October. <\/p>\n
\u201cAny party that did not sign the code of conduct will not participate in the general election,\u201d he said, adding that the ban would also cover all by-elections until 2030. <\/p>\n
CHADEMA leader Tundu Lissu, a former presidential candidate, was charged with treason on Thursday. <\/p>\n
The decision to disqualify his party will intensify scrutiny of President Samia Suluhu Hassan\u2019s record on rights as she seeks re-election. <\/p>\n
Rights campaigners and opposition parties have accused Hassan\u2019s government of a growing crackdown on political opponents, citing a string of unexplained abductions and killings. <\/p>\n
The government has denied the allegations and has opened an investigation into reported abductions. <\/p>\n
Hassan\u2019s party Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has said in the past that the government respects human rights and has denied any involvement in human rights violations. <\/p>\n
CHADEMA did not immediately comment on the election commission\u2019s decision. <\/p>\n
Earlier on Saturday, the party said it would not participate in the election code of conduct signing ceremony, as part of a push it is making for reforms. <\/p>\n
Prosecutors accused Lissu on Thursday of calling on the public to launch a rebellion and prevent the election from taking place. <\/p>\n
He was not allowed to enter a plea on the treason charge, which carries a death penalty. <\/p>\n
CHADEMA had previously threatened to boycott the elections unless significant reforms are made to an electoral process it says favors the ruling party. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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