Tanzania's electoral commission has disqualified opposition presidential candidate Luhaga Mpina for the second time, reversing a court-ordered reinstatement and leaving incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan with few major challengers in the October 29 election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the decision Monday, September 15, 2025, accepting an objection from Attorney General Hamza Saidi Johari against Mpina's nomination by the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo), Tanzania's second-largest opposition party. The ruling came just days after a High Court decision on September 11 ordered INEC to register Mpina, finding his initial August disqualification unconstitutional for failing to hear his case properly.

Mpina, a former ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) lawmaker who defected in August, was first barred on August 26 after the Registrar of Political Parties nullified his nomination over alleged procedural flaws in ACT-Wazalendo's primaries, prompted by a complaint from party member Monalisa Ndala. The court reinstated him, prompting INEC's brief approval over the weekend, but new objections from the government and rivals led to the reversal. ACT-Wazalendo called the move "baseless" and "politically motivated," vowing legal action.

The disqualification follows CHADEMA's April exclusion for not signing the electoral code of conduct amid reform demands, and its leader Tundu Lissu's five-month detention on treason charges. UN human rights experts in June condemned a "pattern of repression" including enforced disappearances of opponents, journalists, and defenders ahead of the polls. With only minor party candidates remaining, Hassan – who ascended in 2021 after President John Magufuli's death – faces limited opposition in her bid to extend CCM's rule since 1977.

Rights groups like Human Rights Watch have raised alarms over the electoral climate, while CCM defends the process as upholding legal standards. Tanzania's October 29 vote, for president, parliament, and local councils, will test the multiparty system's integrity amid calls for reforms.