Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Wins Election with 98% Votes After Rivals Jailed — Hundreds Killed in Protests as Internet Ban Continues

Follow

( 0 Followers )

X

Follow

E-mail : *

Follow Unfollow

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has secured a landslide victory with 98% of the votes in a highly controversial national election, following the disqualification and imprisonment of her major political opponents.

The result, announced early Saturday by the Tanzania Electoral Commission (TEC), has triggered three days of widespread protests across major cities, including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Dodoma — despite a nationwide curfew imposed by security forces.

Human rights groups and eyewitnesses report that hundreds of protesters have been killed in clashes with police and soldiers, as demonstrators accuse the government of rigging the election and silencing opposition voices.

“This is not democracy — it’s dictatorship in disguise,” one protester shouted before police dispersed a crowd near the University of Dar es Salaam.

International observers were barred from monitoring the polls, while several journalists have reportedly been detained. The United Nations and the African Union have both expressed concern over the rising death toll and the government’s heavy-handed response.

The Tanzanian government has also shut down the internet and maintained a ban on Twitter (X) and other social media platforms, a move critics say was aimed at suppressing information and preventing coordination among protesters.

“The internet blackout is denying citizens their right to communicate and access information,” said an Amnesty International spokesperson, calling for immediate restoration of connectivity and an independent inquiry into the killings.

President Suluhu, Africa’s only female head of state, addressed the nation after her victory, calling it a “historic moment of unity and progress,” while urging citizens to “respect the will of the people.”

However, opposition figures and civil society groups have dismissed the results as “illegitimate and orchestrated.”

As of Saturday morning, security forces remain deployed across Tanzania’s major cities, and the curfew remains in effect, with residents warned to stay indoors after 6 p.m. local time.

Observers fear the unrest could destabilize East Africa’s second-largest economy if the crisis continues unchecked.