Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan Wins Second Term Amid Protests
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election, securing a second term in office despite widespread unrest and allegations of electoral irregularities. According to the National Electoral Commission, Samia won nearly 98% of the votes, receiving around 31.9 million of the 32 million ballots cast, with voter turnout reported at approximately 87% of the nation’s 37.6 million registered voters. Electoral chief Jacobs Mwambegele confirmed the result on Saturday, announcing, “I hereby declare Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.” In Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, incumbent President Hussein Mwinyi of CCM also won decisively with nearly 80% of the vote. Opposition parties in Zanzibar, however, accused authorities of “massive fraud,” and Mwinyi’s swearing-in ceremony is currently underway at Amaan Complex Stadium. The election period was marred by significant unrest. Demonstrators in Dar es Salaam and other major cities took to the streets, tearing down campaign posters and clashing with security forces, despite warnings from the army chief to end the protests. Most of the protests were led by young Tanzanians who condemned the election as unfair, citing the suppression of opposition leaders—one in jail and another barred from running due to technicalities. Chadema, the main opposition party, claimed that around 700 people were killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source indicated credible evidence of at least 500 fatalities. The Tanzanian government, however, has downplayed the violence, with Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit describing incidents as “a few isolated pockets” and asserting that security forces acted decisively. Only two main opposition candidates were allowed to contest: Tundu Lissu, detained on treason charges he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, who was excluded on technical grounds. Sixteen smaller parties also participated but hold little political influence. The ruling CCM party has dominated Tanzania’s politics since independence and has never lost a national election. Ahead of the vote, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, raised alarms over government repression, citing enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures. The government denied these claims, insisting the election would be free and fair. Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female president, assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. Despite the official results, tensions remain high across the country, with heavy security presence continuing in major urban centers.
