President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been re-elected as Tanzania’s president, following an election that has sparked widespread controversy and unrest across the country. The electoral commission announced that Samia secured an overwhelming 98% of the votes cast in Wednesday’s poll.
In her victory speech on Saturday, the 65-year-old leader described the election as “free and democratic,” while condemning the ongoing protests as “unpatriotic acts.” However, opposition groups have rejected the outcome, calling the vote a “mockery of democracy.” They claim that the process was neither transparent nor competitive, as most prominent opposition figures had either been detained or barred from contesting.
International observers have voiced serious concerns over the conduct of the election, citing a lack of openness and reports of violence that have left hundreds dead or injured. The government’s internet shutdown has made it difficult to confirm the scale of casualties. Authorities, however, have attempted to downplay the situation, extending curfews in several regions to restore order.
Receiving her certificate of victory from electoral commission chairman Jacobs Mwambegele, President Samia praised security forces for ensuring that voting continued despite violence in some areas. “We thank the security forces for preventing disruptions. The government strongly condemns these violent incidents—they were not acts of patriotism,” she said.
Sccording to official figures, Samia received about 31.9 million votes, representing 97.66% of ballots cast, with voter turnout reaching 87% of the country’s 37.6 million registered voters. In Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous region that elects its own president, ruling party candidate Hussein Mwinyi of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) also won decisively with nearly 80% of the vote. Opposition parties there have alleged “massive fraud,” according to reports from the Associated Press.
Although no major demonstrations were reported on Saturday morning, tensions remain high in Dar es Salaam, where heavily armed security forces manned checkpoints across the city. On Friday, protesters—mainly young people—had taken to the streets, destroying campaign posters and clashing with police in defiance of warnings from the army chief.
Opposition leaders claim that the government has systematically weakened democratic institutions by jailing or disqualifying key rivals. Tundu Lissu, one of the main opposition candidates, is currently facing treason charges, which he denies, while another contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on technical grounds. Only minor parties with little public backing were permitted to contest.
A spokesperson for the opposition Chadema party told AFP that about 700 people have died in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source confirmed to the BBC that at least 500 fatalities are credible. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit, however, downplayed the violence as “isolated incidents” swiftly contained by authorities.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over the reports of killings and urged all sides to avoid further escalation. The governments of the UK, Canada, and Norway have issued similar statements condemning excessive use of force against protesters.
Samia, who became Tanzania’s first female president in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, has pledged to continue her reform agenda. However, critics argue that her government’s heavy-handed response to dissent shows that true democracy in Tanzania remains elusive.
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