Samia Suluhu Hassan Wins Tanzania Election by Landslide Amid Deadly Protests
The victory grants President Hassan, who first assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, a new five-year term to lead the East African nation of about 68 million people
Tanzania’s electoral commission on Saturday declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of the country’s general election, securing nearly 98% of the votes in a poll marred by widespread violence and allegations of repression
The victory grants President Hassan, who first assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, a new five-year term to lead the East African nation of about 68 million people
Protests erupted during and after Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary elections, with demonstrators reportedly tearing down campaign posters, torching government buildings, and clashing with police who responded with teargas and live bullets, according to eyewitness accounts
Opposition groups have accused the electoral commission of barring Hassan’s two main challengers, claiming the process was neither free nor fair
The main opposition party alleged that hundreds were killed in post-election violence, though the U.N. human rights office has so far confirmed at least 10 deaths in three major cities
Government officials dismissed the opposition’s death toll as “hugely exaggerated” and rejected accusations of human rights abuses, insisting that the election was conducted within the law
Reuters reported that it could not independently verify the casualty figures
Writer : Mweru Mugua
