Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of Tanzania, assumes office following fatal election violence

Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of Tanzania, was inaugurated into office on Monday for the first time and pledged to put an end to the fatal protests that were sparked by the disputed election last week.

The government has rejected the death toll as inflated, despite the opposition’s claims that hundreds perished and the vote was rigged.

Hassan, who took office in 2021 after her predecessor passed away, was proclaimed the victor of last Wednesday’s election with about 98% of the vote. Her two main rivals had been eliminated from the competition.

One of only two African women presidents of state, the 65-year-old took the oath of office during a ceremony held at the State House’s military parade ground in the city, Dodoma.

“Life must continue,” she said to dignitaries, including the presidents of Burundi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Somalia.

The demonstrations, according to Hassan, were damaging and violent.

“We have an obligation to improve today over yesterday. “I implore you to keep up the defense of our principles of solidarity and cooperation,” she urged.

Voters “could not express democratic will,” according to observers.

According to reliable sources, at least ten people were killed in the protests that broke out during last Wednesday’s election, the U.N. human rights office reported.

Dismissing the opposition’s toll as “hugely exaggerated,” the government defended the security reaction as both necessary and reasonable. Hassan confirmed the number of those killed in the violence, but he did not specify.

The largest opposition party, CHADEMA, said the results were a hoax after being disqualified from the election for not signing a code of conduct and after its head was detained in April on treason allegations.

Tanzania is a member of the southern African regional body SADC, which has election monitors. They noted that in most regions, “voters could not express their democratic will” due to opposition restrictions and the appearance of ballot box stuffing at several polling places.

The government claims that the election was transparent and fair.

According to the electoral commission, Hassan earned substantially more votes than her predecessor, John Magufuli, did in 2020—31.9 million out of 37.7 million registered voters.

Slow internet recovery, civil servants going back to work

On Monday, internet access—which the government had blocked on election day—began to increase, albeit speeds were still somewhat poor.

Residents of the commercial hub Dar es Salaam told Reuters that although protests seem to have subsided recently, there were still significant military and police presences on Monday, and state servants were once more instructed to work from home.

According to a statement by government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa, commercial operations and regular work schedules will resume on Tuesday.

The African Union urged Hassan’s government to protect “fundamental rights and freedoms” while congratulating her on her election victory over the weekend….

After taking office in 2021, Hassan received plaudits from Magufuli for reducing government persecution. However, opposition parties and activists have recently criticized Hassan for a string of arrests and reported kidnappings of opponents.

She stated that she had commanded an inquiry into abduction reports last year. Official results have not yet been made public.