Magufuli vowed to annihilate the opposition when he came to power five years ago. According to him, the opposition’s ‘politicking’ was a hindrance to the country’s development. By February 2016, he had banned all political party rallies. He then embarked on a systematic coopting of opposition figures into his party. Magufuli has also used laws to created a culture of fear and intimidation. For example, with the crackdown on the media, journalists are afraid of making any critical analysis.
AuthorNicodemus Minde
Nico Minde is doctoral student in International Relations at the United States International University – Africa (USIU – Africa) Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the same university. His PhD research is on Party Dominance and the democratization of the Tanganyika-Zanziabr Union. He was a joint recipient of the Africa Peacebuilding Network (APN) Research Grant with Professor Kenneth Omeje in 2013. He is a beneficiary of the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (2017/2020). His research interests are in Foreign Policy, Peace and Conflict in the Horn of Africa region, Political Parties and Democratization and the political history of Tanzania and Zanzibar.