Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has been declared the overwhelming winner of a controversial national election, securing 97.66 per cent of the vote amid widespread unrest, arrests of opposition figures, and reports of mass killings.
According to results announced on state television on Saturday by the electoral commission, Hassan dominated every constituency, cementing her hold on power in a contest rights groups and observers say was neither free nor fair.
State TV also reported that a “quick swearing-in ceremony” would take place later on Saturday.
The opposition party, Chadema, claimed that hundreds of people were killed after security forces opened fire on protesters who took to the streets following the vote on Wednesday.
“Around 700 people have been killed,” a Chadema spokesperson told AFP, citing hospital and clinic records gathered across the country.
Independent sources, including a security contact and a diplomat in Dar es Salaam, also told AFP that deaths were “in the hundreds.”
President Hassan, who became the country’s first female leader after the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, in 2021, faced minimal opposition, as major candidates were either jailed or barred from running.
Chadema’s presidential hopeful was placed on trial for treason, and the party itself was banned from participating in the poll.
Rights groups accused the government of orchestrating a “wave of terror” before the vote, with abductions and intimidation reportedly intensifying in the final days of the campaign.
Violence, Internet Blackout, And Curfew
Despite a heavy military presence, election day spiralled into chaos. Protesters tore down posters of Hassan and clashed with security forces at polling stations across major cities, prompting an internet shutdown and a nationwide curfew.
Eyewitnesses who spoke with AFP described scenes of panic as soldiers patrolled the streets and journalists were barred from reporting freely.
Most local news websites have not been updated since early Wednesday.
“Currently, no excessive force has been used. There’s no number until now of any protesters killed,” said Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo in an interview with Al Jazeera.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” about the unfolding situation in Tanzania, including “reports of deaths and injuries during the demonstrations.”
In a statement issued by his spokesman, the UN chief called for calm and respect for fundamental human rights.
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