Chadema election: You can’t give what you do not have

Chadema’s newly elected chairman Tundu Lissu addresses party delegates shortly after being declared the winner on January 22, 2025 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Photo credit: Mwananchi | Nation Media Group

A common paradox of African aspirations to democratic rule is the gap between the internal processes of political organisations and the practices they condemn in ruling parties at the national level.

In the few instances where term limits have been instituted and adhered to, entrenched ruling parties tend to change leadership at least once every ten years.

Even as they use undemocratic means to suppress opponents, from Addis to Maputo, regular changes in leadership often give repressive regimes a façade of internal democracy, in stark contrast to the wider opposition movements.

This is why this week’s leadership transition in Tanzania’s largest opposition party, Chadema, is particularly significant. In a watershed moment following a closely contested internal election, militant figure Tundu Lissu took over from the long-serving Freeman Mbowe after securing 51.4 per cent of the vote compared to Mbowe’s 48.2 per cent.

At the end of his 21-year tenure as party leader, Mbowe graciously conceded to Lissu, setting the party on a new trajectory while shedding its image of perpetual incumbency. This development is definitive because no one can credibly offer democracy without practising it themselves.

If Africa’s opposition parties are to deliver on their promises of democracy and civil liberties, they must embody those values. Elections should be regular, transparent, and credible — criteria that Chadema seems to have met in this week’s polls. Leaders must also be willing to transfer power without undue resistance.

However, despite these promising steps, the party now faces the challenge of surviving the tremors of a closely contested election and the leadership transition.

African politics often takes on a zero-sum dynamic, particularly when the margin of victory is as narrow as it was in Chadema’s elections on Wednesday.

The next challenge applies equally to Chadema’s incoming team and the outgoing leadership. Mbowe has already demonstrated leadership by accepting the election results.

To ensure the party’s stability, he must rally his supporters behind the new leadership. Without such unity, Chadema risks being perceived as no different from the ruling CCM, which it has frequently accused of electoral manipulation.

With a presidential election due in October, time is not on Lissu’s side. His most urgent task is to restore faith in democratic processes by advancing reforms within the democratic space. Achieving this will require a careful blend of activism and diplomacy. 

Lissu must persuade the liberal wing of CCM to support his proposals while ensuring his party’s unequivocal backing for the forceful activism required to secure concessions from CCM. Additionally, he must manage expectations by focusing on achievable goals.

Overturning an entrenched ruling party without adequate grassroots structures demands a rare combination of favourable factors. While pushing for reform, Lissu must also prioritise strengthening Chadema’s organisational foundations.