Language, legitimacy, and the public sphere in Tanzania’s general election campaigns

This study examines the role of language in constructing legitimacy and shaping the public sphere during Tanzania’s 2025 general election campaigns. The election took place in a politically changed environment marked by debates over electoral integrity due to the disqualification of the major opposition parties. In this context, the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) campaigned largely against smaller parties with limited political influence, raising questions about the nature of political competition and the functioning of the public sphere in Tanzania.

Drawing on perspectives from sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, the study investigates how political actors used language to claim or challenge legitimacy in the run-up to the election. The analysis is based on a qualitative approach supported by a corpus of approximately 100 Swahili-language political texts collected from broadcast transcripts, campaign speeches, and social media during the pre-election, election, and post-election periods (September to December 2025). 

The preliminary findings show that language played a central role in asserting or denying political authority. The incumbent president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, frequently used authoritative language that implicitly cautioned voters against alternative choices. Some opposition candidates employed discourse that indirectly reinforced the incumbent’s legitimacy, while others relied on a rhetoric of grievance, claiming that the ruling party sought to silence them for exposing governance failures. The data also revealed a strategic use of pronominals, in which the use of plural pronominals was strategically employed to project inclusivity or collective authority, while singular pronominals were used to indicate personal capability and authority. Overall, the study demonstrates how linguistic practices both enable and constrain participation in the public sphere during electoral campaigns.

The presentation will be given in English.