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.
