Keypoints:
- CHADEMA rejects Samia Hassan’s landslide win
- Opposition alleges over 700 deaths in unrest
- AU, EAC urge calm and transparency
TANZANIA’S main opposition party, CHADEMA, has refused to recognise President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s re-election, denouncing the October 29 national vote as an ‘open coup’ and urging the international community not to acknowledge her presidency.
In a statement posted on X, CHADEMA accused the electoral authorities of subverting the will of Tanzanians. ‘The announcement of results is an open coup against the will of Tanzanians who have been denied their democratic right to choose the leader they want,’ the party said.
The National Electoral Commission declared Hassan the winner with 97.66 percent of the 32.7 million votes cast, giving her more than 31.9 million ballots and extending her rule for a second term.
Opposition barred and leader detained
CHADEMA was barred from contesting the election in April after missing the deadline to sign the electoral code of conduct. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, was arrested that same month on treason charges following his ‘no reforms, no election’ campaign.
‘These results have no validity whatsoever because the truth is that no election took place in Tanzania,’ the party said, alleging that citizens were denied participation due to the absence of free and fair conditions and a level political field.
Hassan hails ‘people’s mandate’
According to The Citizen newspaper, President Hassan hailed her landslide victory as evidence of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party’s popular mandate. She congratulated her rivals for ‘conducting campaigns with civility’ and praised the electoral commission for a ‘free, open, and fair’ process.
However, independent monitors and opposition activists reported widespread violence, boycotts, and internet shutdowns during election week.
Protests and deadly clashes
The UN Human Rights Office said at least ten people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters after results were announced. CHADEMA claimed the actual toll was much higher, with spokesperson John Kitoka alleging more than 700 deaths since the campaign period began and accusing security agencies of targeting opposition supporters.
Protests erupted in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, and Songwe. President Hassan condemned the unrest as ‘neither civil nor patriotic’. CHADEMA countered that the demonstrations proved Tanzanians had rejected the election process.
Calls for calm and accountability
Official figures put voter turnout at nearly 87 percent. Yet CHADEMA called on the international community not to recognise Hassan’s presidency, insisting she ‘lacks legitimacy because she has not been elected by the citizens of Tanzania’.
This was the first national election fully overseen by Hassan, 65, who took office in 2021 following the death of former president John Magufuli. She has pledged unity and economic stability in her second term, but critics argue the extraordinary margin of victory and the reported crackdown on dissent highlight Tanzania’s shrinking democratic space.
The African Union and East African Community have both urged calm and respect for human rights, calling on authorities to ensure transparency and accountability in handling post-election unrest.
