Tanzania’s national electoral commission on Saturday declared incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of the country’s presidential election, stating she secured 97.66% of the vote. The announcement followed the election held on the preceding Wednesday.
According to state media reports, a swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for later on Saturday. President Hassan, who took office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, ran against 16 candidates from smaller political parties.
The election period was marked by protests in major cities. Reports from news agencies citing witnesses described demonstrators removing banners of President Hassan and setting fire to government buildings. The same reports indicated that police responded with tear gas and gunfire.
There are conflicting reports on casualties resulting from the demonstrations. The main opposition party, Chadema, told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency on Friday that its network monitoring hospitals and clinics had compiled figures indicating “about 700” people had been killed. Separately, the United Nations human rights office stated it had received credible reports that at least 10 people were killed across three cities.
In a statement to Al Jazeera on Friday, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said the government had “no official figures” on protester deaths. “No excessive force has been used,” Kombo stated, adding that the election was conducted fairly.
The election proceeded after several leading opposition figures were prevented from running. Chadema, the main opposition force, was barred from participating. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, has been in jail for several months on treason charges, which he denies. Before his arrest, Lissu had called for electoral reforms. Another opposition leader, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was also barred from the presidential race.
Rights organizations have made allegations about the political climate in the country leading up to the vote, which the government has denied.
The United Nations has responded to the events in the country. In a statement, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the chief is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Tanzania, “including reports of deaths and injuries during the demonstrations.”
President Hassan has not made a public statement since the electoral commission announced the results.
