Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan is heading into the election almost unopposed, with her main rival, Tundu Lissu, jailed and facing a treason trial that carries a death penalty.
Lissu’s Chadema party, the main opposition, has boycotted the election to demand for reforms, while the leader of the second-largest opposing party was disqualified at the last minute from contesting the presidency.
The electoral commission has cleared 17 candidates for the presidential race.
The campaigns have been dominated by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, in power since independence in 1961. Major cities and towns have been draped in the party's green and yellow colours, while giant billboards of its presidential candidate have been visible on stretches of roads.
In the absence of its main rivals in the elections, the ruling party is expected to steamroll over its smaller rivals who have historically performed dismally in elections.
Some 37.6 million Tanzanians are registered to vote in 272 constituencies across the country, according to the National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The president and vice-president are elected directly via a simple majority. By law the results of a presidential election cannot be challenged in court.
Voting started on Tuesday in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago, where civil servants usually cast their ballots earlier, with the rest of the country scheduled to vote on Wednesday.
Zanzibar is one of Tanzania’s main tourist destination and is known for its spices and sandy beaches. But it also has a history of tensions during elections although residents told TRT Afrika that this year’s campaigns were relatively calm with no incidents.
“I’m glad that this year’s campaigns have ended well. It has never happened in history. Campaigns were held in a very civilized manner, Shaibu Ali Usi, a local trader at Darajani market in downtown Zanzibar says.
“This year Zanzibar has shown some maturity... There was no chaos. No one was beaten or chased," Hemedi Abdallah Masoud, a juice seller, added.
However observers reckon that despondency in the campaigns point to the erosion of political competition in the East African nation since the restoration of multiparty democracy three decades ago.
Nicknamed "Mama Samia", the former vice-president is seeking her first direct mandate from the electorate after serving out the term of her predecessor John Magufuli who died in office in March 2021.
She has been credited with stabilising the economy, with agriculture, mining and tourism registering a 5.5-percent growth last year, according to the World Bank.
But her critics have condemned what they consider as the country’s shrinking democratic space under her watch. In the run-up to the polls, the president has reminded voters not to forget “I am chief of the defence forces".
On the campaign trail, she has emphasized peace and security, assuring the nation that the government will not tolerate violence or threats against voters on election day.
The opposition has called for protests on election day but security agencies have reassured on security.
Major companies have announced the suspension of operations on Election Day, with activity expected to resume on October 30. In Tanzania mainland, the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) has directed bus owners to equally suspend services on election day.
Religious leaders have called for peaceful elections and urged voters to return home after casting their ballots.
“As a religious leader, I say it is Allah who knows the leaders. He gives to and takes away power from whoever He wills. As a religious leader, when I speak of peace it is because Islam wants us to speak on peace, whether during elections or otherwise. My biggest message is let us go and vote,” the Regional Sheikh of Dar es Salaam and chairman of the Dar es Salaam Peace Committee, Walid Alhad Omar, tells TRT Afrika.
Several regional and international bodies have dispatched election observation missions to monitor the elections. They include the African Union, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
