Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan convincingly won Wednesday’s election with nearly 98 percent of the vote. the local election commission announced on Saturday. The vote took place without the participation of leading opposition figures and resulted in violent protests, informs TASR according to an AFP report.
Tanzanian state television reported that a short swearing-in ceremony will take place on Saturday after the announcement of the official final results. Hassan’s victory was confirmed by an AFP reporter who relayed the information by phone, as Tanzania is still without internet connection. “In every constituency, she (Hassanová) won more than 95 percent,” added the journalist of this French agency based on the preliminary results.
The result of the election is “a mockery of the democratic process”, the spokesman of the opposition party Chadema responded and called for a repeat of the election. “We will announce our response, which may include calling for nationwide protests.” he added. Election winner Hassan said after the results were announced that “it is time to unite our country and not destroy what we have built for more than six decades… We will take all measures and engage all security forces to ensure peace in the country,” she emphasized that, according to her, the residents had clearly decided on a female leader.
More than 700 people have already died during the violence at the protests that broke out in Tanzania after Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Demonstrations are taking place all over the country. The largest number of victims are reported from the largest city of Dar es Salaam, where, according to the opposition, 350 people died, and from the city of Mwanza, where 200 people lost their lives. This was stated by the opposition party Chadema for the AFP agency on Friday and confirmed by an unnamed representative of the Tanzanian security forces.
Suluhu Hassan tried to consolidate her position in Wednesday’s election. She had no serious opponent, as the main opponents ended up in prison or were banned from running. The president was seeking her second term as the candidate of the Tanzania Revolutionary Party (CCM), which has ruled since independence in 1961.
On election day, chaos broke out across the country. Crowds of protesters flooded the streets of Dar es Salaam and other cities, tearing down the president’s posters and attacking police and polling stations. The government responded by shutting down the internet and declaring a state of emergency.
AFP points out that foreign journalists were not allowed to report on the elections, communication channels are blocked and information from the field is therefore difficult to obtain. Local news portals have not been updated since Wednesday. The main opposition Chadema party, which was barred from taking part in the election, said protesters had marched in the center of Dar es Salaam on Friday, where they were confronted by large numbers of police and soldiers.
