Delivering the party’s 2026 New Year’s message, Chadema National Vice Chairman for the Mainland, Mr John Heche, said 2025 was an extraordinary year.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema has demanded the unconditional release of its national chairman, Mr Tundu Lissu, who has been facing treason charges since early last year.
The opposition party has also called for constitutional reforms, the establishment of an independent electoral commission, an international investigation into killings and abductions, and the lifting of the suspension on Chadema’s political activities.
Delivering the party’s 2026 New Year’s message, Chadema National Vice Chairman for the Mainland, Mr John Heche, said 2025 was an extraordinary year.
“It was a year of difficult decisions and great pain, but also a historic awakening of Tanzanians’ resolve to demand justice, freedom, and genuine democracy,” he said.
Mr Heche said Chadema made history through its national general assembly, where Mr Lissu was elected party chairman.
However, as of January 3, 2026, it has been 269 days since Mr Lissu’s arrest and detention in a case he described as false, arbitrary, and politically motivated.
“The party wants Mr Lissu released unconditionally, because he is not guilty, has not lied, and has not incited violence,” he said.
On internal unity, Mr Heche said: “Differences of opinion within a democratic party are not divisions; they are the foundation of robust debate and strong decision-making. When we agree to disagree respectfully and unite once decisions are made, Chadema gains unshakable moral and political strength.”
Reflecting on the October 29, 2025, General Election, Mr Heche said it left Tanzania with political wounds that will take time to heal.
He cited the abuse of state institutions, including the Registrar of Political Parties and the courts, against government critics and the opposition, particularly Chadema, which was allegedly barred from political activity under false pretexts.
Mr Heche praised the No Reforms, No Election movement as a historic sign of public awareness.
“Without systemic reforms, elections are not a solution but a problem. Citizens’ voices have become a philosophy of political liberation,” he said.
Regarding deaths reported during the election period, Mr Heche said: “These were not ordinary political events; they were serious human rights violations against the principles of international law. That is why Chadema insists on a credible, independent, internationally represented investigation.”
He stressed that internal mechanisms alone cannot address the scale of the harm.
“A nation that values its global reputation cannot remain silent while its citizens’ blood is shed without truth and accountability,” he said.
“We want a Tanzania governed by a living constitution, a pact of rights between citizens and the state, not empty words. A nation ruled by law that protects human rights as the foundation of dignity, not at the mercy of a few rulers,” Mr Heche added.
He said Chadema is demanding a new constitution to restore the integrity of votes, accountability, and access to justice for all, alongside an independent electoral commission to safeguard citizens’ voices.
“Reconciliation cannot exist without justice, and justice requires accountability. Without acknowledging wrongdoing and holding perpetrators responsible, reconciliation becomes a form of memory suppression,” he said.
The opposition party also criticised the Registrar of Political Parties for involvement in legal actions that suspended Chadema’s political activities and seized party assets, describing the moves as attempts to silence the voice of justice and democracy.
