Samia Suluhu Hassan Secures Landslide Victory Amid Deadly Protests and Allegations of Election Fraud in Tanzania
Photo of the president of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan
The national electoral commission has announced the President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the general election in the country with a resounding majority of 98 percent of the votes. The declaration was announced on Saturday after days of violent disturbances and claims of irregularities that are widespread making the credibility of the poll doubtful.
This election provides another five-year tenure to President Hassan to preside over the East African country of close to 68 million people. The vote has however been surrounded by controversy with opposition groups claiming that the government has rigged the vote and suppressed dissent.
On Wednesday, there were sweeping protests during the presidential and parliamentary elections. Protesters are said to have taken down campaign materials depicting Hassan, set fire to government buildings, and engaged in confrontations with the police who retaliated with tear gas and live bullets. There were reports of lawlessness in various cities such as Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, and Mwanza by the witnesses.
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The election was criticized by the opposition leaders who said that it had been rigged to see Hassan emerge victoriously as the electoral commission disqualified the other two of her main challengers. The largest opposition party in the country claimed that hundreds of people were murdered during the demonstrations and the United Nations human rights body had credible evidence of at least 10 deaths in three cities. These figures were dismissed as exaggerated by the government that denied its human rights record.
The tensions were even spilling over the borders of Tanzania with a few protesters escaping into Kenya through the Namanga border town where they blocked roads and ignited fires. According to Kenyan police, 2 individuals lost their lives following running confrontations with Tanzanian security agents. Governments in Kenya have since requested people not to participate in border protests.
The matter was aggravated when preliminary reports indicated that President Hassan had scored close to 95 percent of the vote in Mbeya province, and he was heavily leading nationwide including Zanzibar. European Union legislators declared the election a sham and that the manipulation was months old.
As violence intensified, the military commander of Tanzania Gen. Jacob Mkunda attributed the devastation of property and the loss of life to bad elements. Massive security operations have been deployed in major cities and a curfew was declared in Dar es Salaem at night with reports of severely wounded protesters in hospitals. The government ordered civil servants to work at home, in an effort to suppress the unrest.
Amnesty International lamented that the clashes reportedly left one of the police officers and a civilian dead. The rights group also condemned the government over the gross limitation on the internet in the country saying that the blackout might fuel further unrest.
Protesters have in turn responded by utilizing other forms of communication such as the walkie-talkie application Zello to coordinate their efforts.
The ruling party in Tanzanian politics since independence, which is also popularly known as Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), is led by President Hassan and was a strong candidate to be re-elected to power. Her key opponent, Tundu Lissu is in jail facing treason charges and another leading opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo was disqualified to run.
In 2021, Samia Suluhu Hassan became the first woman president in Tanzania after the passing of John Magufuli, but was initially celebrated to have relaxed the control on political expression. Nevertheless, this administration has been increasingly accused of silencing the voices of opposition by way of arrests and intimidations, which questions whether her government is dedicated to democratizing the country.
