The Unasked Question: Electoral Validity, Presidential Commissions of Inquiry, and the Accountability Gap After Tanzania’s 29 October 2025 Election

This article examines why the question of electoral validity was not expressly assigned to either of Tanzania’s presidential commissions of inquiry established after the contested 29 October 2025 general election. It distinguishes electoral occurrence, validity, and democratic legitimacy to argue that the central issue is not whether an election occurred, but how its constitutional significance should be assessed. Drawing on Tanzania’s Commissions of Inquiry Act, the terms of reference and documented work of the Chande and Lila Commissions, the African Union Election Observation Mission’s assessment, and relevant judicial proceedings, the article identifies a problem of institutional linkage rather than an absence of investigation. The Chande Commission examined the causes and consequences of post-election violence, while the Lila Commission focused on individual responsibility and related abuses. The African Union separately assessed electoral integrity. The article argues that these differentiated inquiries produced important evidence without expressly assigning a domestic mechanism to connect electoral conditions, political contestation, violence, and constitutional legitimacy.