标签： Africa

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been re-elected for another term, securing a landslide victory with 98% of the votes, according to the electoral commission. The announcement came after days of widespread unrest, with reports of hundreds of casualties and a nationwide internet shutdown complicating efforts to verify the death toll. International observers have raised concerns over the lack of transparency and the violent clashes that have marred the election process. The government has downplayed the scale of the violence, extending a curfew to restore order. In Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous archipelago, incumbent President Hussein Mwinyi also won re-election with nearly 80% of the vote, though the opposition has alleged ‘massive fraud.’ Protests erupted in major cities, with demonstrators tearing down campaign posters and clashing with security forces. Opposition leaders have accused the government of undermining democracy by suppressing their candidates, one of whom is jailed and another disqualified on technical grounds. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the government’s alleged repression, citing enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Samia, Tanzania’s first female president, assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. Her ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has dominated Tanzanian politics since independence.

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.

Guinea-Bissau’s armed forces announced on Friday the arrest of several military officers accused of orchestrating a coup attempt. The alleged plot, led by Brig. Gen. Daba Na Walna, director of a military training school, involved senior officers who had been reported missing since Monday. The announcement came just a day before the official start of the general election campaign, raising concerns about the nation’s stability. The armed forces’ General Staff condemned the incident, stating that it threatened the peace and socio-economic development crucial for attracting foreign investment. This marks the second known coup attempt against President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who assumed power in 2020. The details of the accused plotters’ fate remain undisclosed. Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation, has a history of political instability, with multiple coups since gaining independence from Portugal over 50 years ago. The current political climate is further strained by controversy over Embaló’s term. The opposition claims his term should have ended in February, but the Supreme Court extended it until September. Embaló, however, set the election date for November 30, declaring his first term would last until then. This decision has heightened tensions, with the opposition refusing to recognize his presidency. Earlier this year, a mediation mission from a West African regional bloc abruptly left the country after reportedly facing expulsion threats from Embaló.