Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has secured a landslide victory in the country’s disputed election, garnering over 97% of the vote, as per official results announced early Saturday. This unprecedented win, rare in the region, has sparked concerns among critics and opposition groups, who argue that the election was less of a contest and more of a coronation. Hassan’s two main rivals were either barred or prevented from running, leaving her to face 16 candidates from smaller parties. The October 29 election was marred by violence, with demonstrators taking to the streets of major cities to protest the vote and halt the counting process. The military was deployed to assist police in quelling riots, and internet connectivity in the East African nation was intermittently disrupted. Tundu Lissu, leader of the opposition group Chadema, has been jailed for months on treason charges after calling for electoral reforms he deemed essential for free and fair elections. Another opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo group, was also barred from running. The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party’s decades-long grip on power was at stake, as charismatic opposition figures emerged, hoping to lead the country toward political change. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have cited a pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial killings in Tanzania ahead of the polls. In June, a United Nations panel of human rights experts reported over 200 cases of enforced disappearance since 2019, expressing alarm at the repression ahead of the elections. The International Crisis Group noted that Tanzania’s president oversaw an unprecedented crackdown on political opponents, curbing freedom of expression through bans on platforms like X and restrictions on the Tanzanian digital platform JamiiForums, as well as silencing critical voices through intimidation or arrest. The political maneuvering by Tanzanian authorities is unprecedented, even in a country where single-party rule has been the norm since the advent of multi-party politics in 1992. Critics argue that previous leaders tolerated opposition while maintaining a firm grip on power, whereas Hassan is accused of leading with an authoritarian style that defies youth-led democracy movements elsewhere in the region.
Tanzania President Hassan wins disputed election with more than 97% of vote, official results show
