Hundreds feared dead in days of protests after disputed Tanzanian elections
Hundreds of people are feared dead after days of protests over Tanzania’s disputed election, which incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared to have won with nearly 98% of the vote.
Police fired gunshots and tear gas as demonstrators took to the streets during Wednesday’s vote, with some tearing down banners of the Manchester-educated leader and setting fire to government buildings.
Protesters are angry about the exclusion of her two biggest challengers from the contest and what they say is widespread repression.
Estimates of the number killed have so far varied wildly, with Tanzania’s main opposition party claiming hundreds had been killed in the protests, while the UN said credible reports indicated at least 10 people had been killed in three cities.
Disputed vote
The electoral commission said Hassan received more than 31.9 million votes, with turnout nearing 87% of the East African nation’s registered voters.
However witnesses said turnout on election day appeared low, with some polling stations disrupted by protests.
The main opposition party CHADEMA called for demonstrations during the election, which it said amounted to a “coronation” of Ms Hassan.
The party was disqualified in April after refusing to sign a controversial code of conduct and its leader Tundu Lissu has been jailed for months after being charged with treason.
Mr Lissu had called for electoral reforms, which he said were needed for free and fair elections.
People ride on a motorcycle waving a Tanzanian flag. Pic: Reuters
Death toll unclear
Tanzanian authorities have not said how many people have been killed or injured in the violence.
However, CHADEMA claimed hundreds of people had been killed since election day on Wednesday.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the UK, Canada and Norway cited “credible reports of a large number of fatalities and significant injuries, as a result of the security response to protests”.
The Tanzanian government dismissed the opposition’s death toll as “hugely exaggerated” and has rejected criticism of its human rights record.
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One of the few women to have been an African head of state, Ms Hassan won praise after she took office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor.
She was credited with easing repression but has been criticised more recently by opposition parties and activists after a string of arrests and alleged abductions of opponents.
She has denied allegations of widespread rights abuses. Last year, she said she had ordered an investigation into reports of abductions, but no official findings have been released.
Only minor parties were permitted to take on Ms Hassan in the elections after CHADEMA and fellow opposition party ACT-Wazalendo had candidates disqualified.
