In brief
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election with 98% of the vote, amidst widespread unrest and violence that has reportedly resulted in hundreds of deaths. Opposition parties have rejected the election results, accusing the process of being a mockery of democracy as they claim that significant barriers were placed against their participation. International observers have raised concerns about the electoral integrity and the government's response to protests.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term amid days of unrest across the country.
Samia won 98% of the votes in Wednesday's poll, the electoral commission said. In her Saturday victory speech she said the election was free and democratic, accusing protesters of being unpatriotic.
Opposition parties rejected the results, calling the vote a mockery of the democratic process as Samia's main challengers had been either imprisoned or barred from running.
International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds of people dead and injured.
The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll.
The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence - and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.
Receiving her victory certificate on Saturday, Samia, 65, said: We thank the security forces for ensuring that the violence did not stop voting.
Earlier on Saturday, electoral commission chief Jacobs Mwambegele declared Samia the winner of the presidential election with about 31.9 million votes, or 97.66% of the total, and a turnout nearing 87% of the country's 37.6 million registered voters.
In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, also won with nearly 80% of the vote, despite opposition claims of massive fraud.
No protests were reported on Saturday morning, but tension remained high in Dar es Salaam, where security forces manned roadblocks across the port city. The demonstrations, primarily led by young protesters, have denounced the election as unfair and accused the government of undermining democracy.
A spokesperson for the opposition Chadema party indicated that around 700 people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source suggested at least 500 deaths. The situation drew concern from international figures, including UN chief Antonio Guterres, urging all parties to prevent escalation.
Samia, who took office in 2021 as the first female president following the death of President John Magufuli, is facing criticism for repressing opposition, with human rights groups highlighting a wave of terror affecting dissenters.
