Hassan of Tanzania won a resounding victory in a violent election
Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of Tanzania, was proclaimed the overwhelming victor on Saturday. Her absence from the race sparked deadly protests throughout the nation this week.
According to the electoral commission of the East African country, Hassan, who assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, garnered almost 31.9 million votes, or 97.66% of the total, and was granted a five-year term.
Witnesses said that protests broke out during Wednesday’s vote for president and parliament, with some protesters pulling down Hassan flags, burning government buildings, and police using tear gas and shooting weapons.
The exclusion of Hassan’s two main rivals from the election by the electoral commission, as well as what human rights organizations claim are frequent arrests and kidnappings of opponents, have infuriated protesters.
After being declared the victor, Hassan described the demonstrators’ conduct as “neither responsible nor patriotic” in a speech from the administrative capital, Dodoma.
“When it comes to the security of Tanzania, there is no debate – we must use all available security avenues to ensure the country remains safe,” she added.
The opposition claims the protests killed hundreds of people.
CHADEMA, Tanzania’s biggest opposition party, alleged on Friday that hundreds of people had been killed in the protests. In April, the party had its leader detained for treason and was disqualified from the election for refusing to sign a code of conduct.
According to reliable accounts, there were at least ten fatalities in three locations, the U.N. human rights office said.
The opposition’s death toll was deemed “hugely exaggerated” by the administration, which has also denied criticism of its human safety record. The number of casualties could not be reliably confirmed by Reuters.
Authorities have limited internet access and enforced a national curfew since Wednesday. Numerous international flights have been canceled, and the port in Dar es Salaam, which serves as a gateway for the import and export of fuel and commodities mined around the region, has experienced disruptions in operations.
In a statement sent by his spokesperson on Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret for the deaths and asked “for a thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations of excessive use of force.”
Speaking to Reuters, Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo refuted claims that security forces had overreacted, stating that there had only been a “very few small pockets of incidents” brought on by criminal elements.
A RECENT ANALYSIS OF HASSAN
Nearly 87% of the 37.6 million registered voters in the nation cast ballots, according to the electoral commission.
Since Hassan’s predecessor, John Magufuli, won re-election in 2020 with only 12.5 million votes on a turnout of less than 15 million, the government’s critics were alarmed by that figure.
Witnesses reported a low turnout on Wednesday, with the protests causing disruptions at certain voting places.
After taking office in 2021, Hassan, 65, received accolades from Magufuli for reducing government persecution. However, in recent years, opposition parties and activists have criticized him for a string of arrests and suspected kidnappings of opponents.
Although no official results have been made public, she claimed to have launched an investigation into accusations of kidnappings last year.
She highlighted the campaign’s achievements, which included growing the capacity for power generation and the road and rail networks.
