Tanzania president claims 98% of vote in election tarnished by deadly crackdown
Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania’s presidential election, becoming the first woman elected leader of an African country with 98 percent of the vote in polls marred by deadly protests.
With his victory, Hassan, who took power in 2021 after the death of his predecessor, obtains a new five-year mandate to govern this East African country.
However, President Hassan’s victory is also likely to amplify the concerns of critics and rights groups, with the UN saying the country of 68 million faces a “pattern of repression”.
Such an overwhelming victory is rare in the country.
Ahead of the election, widespread and deadly protests broke out across Tanzania, with Hassan’s two main rivals barred from running.
Opposition party leader Tundu Lissu has been in prison for months, accused of treason, after calling for reforms to hold free and fair elections.
Presidential candidate and incumbent of Tanzania’s ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Samia Suluhu Hassan, delivers her speech at the party’s closing campaign rally (AFP/Getty)
Another opposition group leader, Luhaga Mpina, was also prevented from running in the elections.
UN experts warned in June of more than 200 cases of enforced disappearances in the country since 2019, saying they were “alarmed by reports of a trend toward repression.”
“The government has restricted freedom of expression, ranging from banning X and restricting Tanzanian digital platform JamiiForums to silencing critical voices through intimidation or arrest,” the International Crisis Group said in a recent analysis.
The main opposition party, Chadema, described the vote not as an election but as a “coronation”, saying more than 700 people lost their lives in protests across the country.
The Tanzanian government has denied using excessive force and called the opposition count wildly exaggerated.
In Wednesday’s election, Hassan faced 16 candidates from small parties as protesters took to the streets of major cities.
The army was deployed and internet connectivity was temporarily cut to disrupt travel amid growing tensions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all parties in Tanzania to “prevent further escalation”.
“I call on all to exercise restraint, reject violence and engage in inclusive and constructive dialogue to avoid further escalation,” Mr. Guterres said.
The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada and Norway said in a joint statement that there were “credible reports of large numbers of deaths” due to security forces’ response to the protests, but Tanzanian authorities did not reveal the exact number of people killed or injured.
