Addis Ababa – The African Union’s election observer mission has declared that Tanzania’s recent general election failed to meet democratic standards, citing widespread irregularities and reports of violence following the vote.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was announced the winner of the October 29 election with 98 percent of the vote, but the opposition accused the government of orchestrating fraud and excluding key challengers. Deadly protests erupted soon after the results were declared.
In its preliminary statement released on Wednesday, the AU mission said the election “did not comply with the Union’s principles, frameworks and international obligations for democratic elections.” The observers reported ballot stuffing at several polling stations and instances where voters were issued multiple ballot papers. It also noted the absence of party agents and said some observers were expelled during the counting process.
Tanzania’s government maintains that the election was free and transparent. However, the main opposition party, CHADEMA, which was barred from contesting, claimed hundreds of deaths occurred during the post-election protests.
Boniface Mwabukusi, president of the Tanganyika Law Society, estimated that more than 1,000 people may have been killed, citing reports from contacts across the country. He said verifying the actual number was difficult as authorities were allegedly threatening citizens who tried to share information.
President Hassan, who took the oath of office on Monday for another term, acknowledged that lives were lost during the unrest but dismissed the opposition’s figures as exaggerated.
The AU mission urged Tanzania to embark on political and electoral reforms to address the causes of instability seen before, during and after the election.
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