Prominent Tanzanian opposition figure arrested

One of Tanzania's most prominent opposition figures has been arrested.

Freeman Mbowe, the Chadema party chairman, and other opposition leaders have been detained in south-western Tanzania.

According to reports published on Friday (No. 22), the politicians have been questionned for allegedly violating local authorities’ election campaign regulations.

However, the opposition party’s director of communications has rebuffed the police's version denouncing a manoeuvre to undermine Chadema's campaign.

The Citizen Tanzania media house cited JohnMrama's statement.

The partyprotested this week that many of its candidates were "unfairly" disqualified from running in the November 27 polls.

In September, Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu — as well as other opposition figures — were briefly detained after riot police prevented a mass rally in Dar es Salaam.

The arrest show a tense political landscape ahad of the presidential election due in late 2025.