DAR ES SALAAM – Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of Saturday’s presidential election, receiving over 31.9 million votes, or 97.66% of the total, securing a five-year term. The announcement follows a week of violent protests across the country.
The unrest began on Wednesday after Hassan’s main challengers were excluded from the race. Demonstrators set fire to government buildings and tore down campaign banners while police responded with tear gas and gunfire, witnesses said. Authorities imposed a nationwide curfew and restricted internet access, while some international flights were cancelled and operations at Dar es Salaam’s port were disrupted.
CHADEMA, Tanzania’s main opposition party, which was barred from the elections for refusing to sign a code of conduct, said hundreds of people have died in protests since Wednesday. The U.N. human rights office reported credible accounts of at least 10 fatalities across Dar es Salaam, Shinyanga, and Morogoro. Government officials dismissed the opposition claims as “hugely exaggerated” and denied that security forces had used excessive force.
In her first public remarks after certification in Dodoma, Hassan described the protesters’ actions as “neither responsible nor patriotic” and called for the use of all available security measures to maintain stability. She has faced criticism in recent years over alleged abductions of political opponents, although investigations ordered last year produced no public findings.
Turnout for the election reportedly reached 87% of Tanzania’s 37.6 million registered voters, a figure that drew scrutiny from critics noting the country’s previous election in 2020 had far fewer voters. During her campaign, Hassan highlighted improvements in roads, railways, and power generation.
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