Tanzania: The opposition leader and former presidential candidate of Tanzania, Mr. Tundu Lissu, has stated that he will return home soon from exile in Europe to “write a new chapter” after the government’s decision to lift a ban on political rallies.

Recently, President Ms. Samia Suluhu Hassan lifted the six-and-a-half-year ban on political rallies as part of her reconciliation strategy after taking over the presidency following the death of her predecessor, Mr. John Magufuli. The ban, imposed by Magufuli in 2016, allowed elected politicians to conduct rallies in their constituencies but barred other political rallies and protests.

“With the lifting of the illegal ban on political activity, it’s now time to return home and get back to work,” Mr. Lissu shared on Twitter.

In a video posted on YouTube, the opposition leader stated that “we cannot continue to endlessly live in exile. I am optimistic that we will write a new chapter this year. 2023 is an important year in the history of our country.”

The Tanzanian politician initially left the country in 2017 to seek treatment abroad after he was shot 16 times in an attack by unknown attackers in the administrative capital of Dodoma. The former presidential candidate had been arrested eight times in the year leading up to the attack.

Mr. Lissu returned for a few months in 2020 to contest the election against Magufuli, who died just five months after winning his second term. Lissu garnered 13 percent of the votes, but his Chadema party rejected the outcome due to allegations of widespread irregularities.

The opposition leader fled to the residence of the German ambassador in Tanzania soon after the election due to death threats before leaving for Belgium.

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