Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan came to power in 2021 after her iron-fisted predecessor died in office. After years of increasingly authoritarian rule, Hassan was hailed as a democratic reformer. But her track record says otherwise. Despite her “good governance style,” write Dan Paget and Aikande Clement Kwayu in the July issue of the Journal of Democracy, the president is more performer than reformer, relying on theatrics to delay real reform while sharpening her tools of repression.
The JoD essays below chart Tanzania’s fraught struggle over its democratic institutions and the strategies its leaders use to repress the people.
Tanzania’s Autocratic Reform-Washing
President Samia Suluhu Hassan came into office promising democratic reforms. Four years later, it is clear she is more of a performer than a reformer. Far from delivering on her promises to unwind Tanzania’s authoritarian machinery, she is relying on the repressive tools we know so well.
Dan Paget and Aikande Clement KwayuTanzania: The Authoritarian Landslide
With brutal resolve, the ruling party sought not merely to win an election, but to annihilate the opposition. Now, with President John Magufuli gone, that strategic rationale will likely only grow stronger.
Dan PagetTanzania: The Roots of Repression
While many blamed President John Magufuli for throwing the country off its democratizing track, the truth is that the party that has ruled Tanzania for six decades has always been authoritarian.
Nic Cheeseman, Hilary Matfess, and Alitalali AmaniTanzania: Shrinking Space and Opposition Protest
Since Tanzania’s 2015 elections, rising repression and opposition protest have displaced an older dynamic of comparatively restrained and unchallenged dominance by the ruling party.
Dan PagetThe Squeeze on African Media Freedom
Sub-Saharan African governments are clamping down on media freedom. More surprising is how many of their citizens appear to support this attack on the press.
Jeff Conroy-Krutz
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