Tanzanian President Samia Hassan has emerged victorious, winning a landslide election. Official results showed Saturday, after key candidates were jailed or barred from a vote that has triggered days of violent protests.
The electoral commission declared on official television that Hassan had won every constituency with 97.66 percent of the vote.
State TV announced that a brief swearing-in ceremony would be held on Saturday.
Chadema, the largest opposition party, claims that since protests started on election day on Wednesday, hundreds of people have been slain by police personnel.
Samia Hassan was promoted from vice-president following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, in 2021.
According to observers, she has since encountered resistance from elements of the army and Magufuli’s supporters and has aimed to intensify her power with a decisive victory.
Prior to the election, rights organisations claim she was in charge of a “wave of terror” in the East African country, which included a number of high-profile kidnappings that intensified in the last few days.
Chadema’s leader was tried for treason, and the party was prohibited from participating in the election.
Election day deteriorated into pandemonium despite a strong security presence as people across rushed to the streets, destroying Samia Hassan’s posters and assaulting police and voting places. This resulted in a curfew and an internet outage.
According to a Chadema spokesman who talked to AFP on Friday, “about 700” people have died, according to data obtained from a network that checked hospitals and medical facilities.
Meanwhile, Since the inception of the unrest in the nation, Samia Hassan has not made any public remarks.
Although her administration denies employing “excessive force,” it has enforced a strict lockdown and curfew nationwide, restricted the internet, and made it difficult to obtain any information.
Similarly, journalists are not permitted to work freely in the nation, and news websites have not been updated since early Wednesday.
According to a statement from his spokesperson, UN chief Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Tanzania, “including reports of deaths and injuries during the demonstrations.”
Much public anger has been directed at Samia Hassan’s son, Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir, accused of overseeing the crackdown.
Although there have been unverified accusations that the army is supporting protesters in some areas, army head Jacob Mkunda strongly supported Hassan on Thursday, labelling the demonstrators “criminals.”
Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, the foreign minister, stated on Friday that his administration had “no figures” on any fatalities.
