President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania has been declared winner with 97.66% of votes in an election marred by violence, mass killings, and internet shutdowns.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won a landslide election with 97.66 percent of the vote, according to official results announced Saturday, following a poll marked by widespread violence and opposition suppression.
The electoral commission said Hassan dominated every constituency, with a swearing-in ceremony expected later in the day. However, the opposition party Chadema claimed that “around 700” people were killed by security forces since protests erupted after Wednesday’s vote, which excluded its candidates.
“Currently, no excessive force has been used,” Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo told Al Jazeera, denying knowledge of any deaths.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over “reports of deaths and injuries during the demonstrations.”
Rights groups accused Hassan’s government of orchestrating a “wave of terror” ahead of the vote, including abductions of opposition figures.
The government has imposed a nationwide curfew and blocked internet access, with journalists barred from reporting freely.
Much of the public anger has been directed at Hassan’s son, Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir, alleged to be overseeing the crackdown.
Hassan, who became president in 2021 after John Magufuli’s death, has not commented publicly since the unrest began.