Prime
Voter participation trend in Tanzania from 1958 to 2020
What you need to know:
- Despite a jump in registered voters from 1.8 million in 1962 to nearly 30 million in 2020, actual voter participation has not increased proportionally
Dar es Salaam. The General Election scheduled for October 29, this year will be Tanzania’s 16th since the country began holding national votes.
The first election for members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) took place between September 1958 and February 1959. Of the 30 contested elective seats, the Tanganyika African National Union (Tanu) won 28. An additional 34 members were appointed.
A second LegCo election was held on Tuesday, August 30, 1960, with 885,000 registered voters. However, only 121,445 valid votes were cast. Tanu received 100,581 votes, amounting to 82.82 percent, and secured 70 seats. Other participants included the African National Congress (ANC), which garnered 337 votes (0.28 percent), and independent candidate Herman Sarwatt, who received 20,527 votes (16.90 percent).
The first presidential election was conducted on Thursday, November 1, 1962, with 1.8 million registered voters and 1,149,254 valid votes cast. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere (Tanu) secured 1,127,978 votes (98.15 percent), while Zuberi Mtemvu (ANC) obtained 21,276 votes (1.85 percent).
Following constitutional reforms, Tanzania became a single-party state—Tanu on the mainland and the Afro Shirazi Party (ASP) in Zanzibar. These two later merged in February 1977 to form Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
In the September 30, 1965 presidential election, Nyerere ran unopposed. Out of 3,373,089 registered voters, 2,600,040 (77.1 percent) turned out. 2,499,503 valid votes were cast, including 2,410,903 YES votes (96.46 percent) and 88,600 voters (3.54 percent) saying NO.
The October 30, 1970 election, also uncontested, had 5,051,938 registered voters; 3,649,789 (72.2 percent) cast their ballots. Of 3,575,401 valid votes, 3,465,573 (96.93 percent) were YES votes and 109,828 (3.07 percent) were NO votes.
In the October 26, 1975 election, again unopposed, Nyerere was re-elected. Out of 5,577,566 registered voters, 4,557,595 (81.7 percent) voted. 4,474,272 valid votes were counted, with 4,172,267 (93.25 percent) voting YES and 302,005 (6.75 percent) voting NO.
The October 26, 1980 election saw 6,969,803 registered voters, with 5,986,942 (85.9 percent) voting. Nyerere received 5,570,883 YES votes (95.56 percent) and 259,040 NO votes (4.44 percent) from a total of 5,829,923 valid votes.
Nyerere stepped down in October 1985. That year’s election, held on October 27, featured Ali Hassan Mwinyi as the CCM candidate. 6,910,555 voters were registered, and 5,181,999 (75 percent) cast ballots. 4,993,740 valid votes were tallied, with 4,778,114 YES votes (95.68 percent) and 215,626 NO votes (4.32 percent).
The October 28, 1990 election, also unopposed, had 7,296,553 registered voters and 5,425,282 (74.4 percent) turnout. Of 5,315,486 valid votes, 5,198,120 (97.79 percent) were YES votes, while 117,366 (2.21 percent) were NO votes.
This was the last election under the single-party system. Multi-party democracy was reinstated in July 1992.
The first multi-party election was held on October 29, 1995, with 8,929,969 registered voters and 6,846,681 (76.7 percent) turnout. Benjamin Mkapa (CCM) won with 4,026,422 votes (61.82 percent), followed by Augustine Mrema (NCCR-Mageuzi) with 1,808,616 (27.77 percent), Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF) with 418,973 (6.43 percent), and John Cheyo (UDP) with 258,734 (3.97 percent).
That election concluded after repeat votes in seven Dar es Salaam constituencies. It was delayed due to irregularities until November 19, 1995.
Parties participating included CCM, NCCR-Mageuzi, Chadema, CUF, UDP, Tadea, NRA, UMD, TLP, NLD, UPDP, Pona and PPT-Maendeleo.
The October 29, 2000 election—the second multi-party vote—had 10,088,484 registered voters, with 8,517,598 (84.4 percent) turnout. Benjamin Mkapa (CCM) secured 5,863,201 votes (71.74 percent), followed by Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF) with 1,329,077 (16.26 percent), Augustine Mrema (TLP) with 637,115 (7.80 percent), and John Cheyo (UDP) with 342,891 (4.20 percent).
The December 14, 2005 election had 16,401,694 registered voters and 11,875,927 (72.4 percent) turnout. Jakaya Kikwete (CCM) won with 9,123,952 votes (80.28 percent), followed by Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF) with 1,327,125 (11.68 percent) and Freeman Mbowe (Chadema) with 668,756 (5.88 percent).
Other candidates included: Augustine Mrema (TLP) – 84,901 (0.75 percent) Sengondo Mvungi (NCCR-Mageuzi) – 55,819 (0.49 percent) Christopher Mtikila (DP) – 31,083 (0.27 percent) Emmanuel Makaidi (NLD) – 21,574 (0.19 percent) Anna Senkoro (PPT-Maendeleo) – 18,783 (0.17 percent) Leonard Shayo (Makini) – 17,070 (0.15 percent) Paul Kyara (SAU) – 16,414 (0.14 percent)
In the general election held on October 31, 2010, a total of 20,137,303 Tanzanians were registered to vote. However, voter turnout stood at just 8,626,283, representing 42.8 percent of the electorate.
Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) emerged victorious, securing 5,276,827 votes—amounting to 62.83 percent of the total votes cast.
He was followed by Willibrod Slaa of Chadema, who garnered 2,271,941 votes (27.05 percent), and Ibrahim Lipumba of CUF, who received 695,667 votes (8.28 percent).
Other presidential candidates and their respective tallies were: Peter Kuza Mziray (APPT-Maendeleo) with 96,933 votes (1.15 percent), Hashim Rungwe (NCCR-Mageuzi) with 26,388 votes (0.31 percent), Muttamwega Mgaywa (TLP) with 17,462 votes (0.21 percent), and Yahmi Dovutwa (UPDP) with 13,176 votes (0.16 percent).
In the October 2015 election, John Magufuli (CCM) emerged victorious with 8,882,935 votes, defeating Edward Lowassa (Chadema), who received 6,072,848 votes.
Other candidates included: Anna Mghwira (ACT-Wazalendo) – 98,763, Chifu Yemba (ADC) – 66,049, Hashim Spunda (Chauma) – 49,256, Elifatio Lyimo (TLP) – 8,198, Kasambala Malik (NRA) – 8,028, Dovutwa Nassoro (UPDP) – 7,785
The October 28, 2020 general election had 29,754,699 registered voters, of whom 15,091,950 (50.72 percent) cast ballots. 261,755 ballots were spoiled, leaving 14,830,195 valid votes.
John Magufuli (CCM) won with 12,516,252 votes (84.40 percent), followed by Tundu Lissu (Chadema) with 1,933,271 votes (13.04 percent). Other candidates combined received 380,672 votes (2.57 percent).
The 15 presidential candidates in 2020 were: Queen Sendinga (ADC), Bernard Membe (ACT-Wazalendo), Dr John Magufuli (CCM), Prof. Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF), Tundu Lissu (Chadema), Cecilia Mwanga (Demokrasia Makini), Hashim Spunda (Chaumma), Seif Maalim Seif (AAFP), John Shibuda (ADA-TADEA), Yeremia Maganja (NCCR-Mageuzi), Philipo Fumbo (DP), Leopard Mahona (NRA), Muttamwega Mgaywa (SAU), Twalib Ibrahim Kadege (UPDP), Maisha Muchunguzi (NLD)
Despite the steady rise in the number of registered voters—from approximately 1.8 million in 1962 to nearly 30 million in 2020—actual voter participation has not kept pace. This widening gap suggests that while more Tanzanians are eligible and enrolled to vote, fewer are choosing to cast their ballots.
The 2020 general election exemplifies this trend, with just over 15 million people turning out to vote—roughly half of all registered voters.
This mismatch between registration and turnout raises important questions about public confidence in the electoral process. It signals a growing sense of disengagement or disillusionment among voters, possibly driven by concerns over political inclusivity, fairness, or the perceived impact of their vote.
