Tanzania President Suluhu wins election landslide after deadly protests
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan won a landslide election victory. Official results showed Saturday, after key candidates were jailed or barred from a vote, which triggered days of violent protests. The final result showed Hassan won 97.66 percent of the vote, dominating every constituency, the electoral commission announced on state television.
A quick swearing-in ceremony would take place on Saturday, state TV said. The main opposition party, Chadema, says hundreds of people have been killed by security forces since protests broke out on Election Day on Wednesday. Hassan was elevated from vice-president on the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, in 2021.
She has faced opposition from parts of the army and Magufuli’s allies, and sought to cement her position with an emphatic win, analysts say. Rights groups say she oversaw a “wave of terror” in the East African nation ahead of the vote, including a string of high-profile abductions that escalated in the final days. Chadema was barred from taking part in the election, and its leader was put on trial for treason.
Despite a heavy security presence, Election Day descended into chaos as crowds took to the streets across the country, tearing down her posters and attacking police and polling stations, leading to an internet shutdown and curfew.
