Tanzania’s electoral commission on Saturday, November 1, declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of the October 29 poll.
This handed her a new five-year term with an overwhelming 98% of the ballots cast.
The commission said Hassan secured about 31.9 million votes, roughly 97.66%, from the 37.6 million registered voters, with turnout near 87%.
The figures, delivered in a brief televised announcement, left little room for suspense.
In Dar es Salaam, ruling-party supporters poured into the streets waving green CCM flags, dancing and chanting her name.
“The people of Tanzania have chosen continuity and stability,” an electoral official said. But jubilation quickly collided with anger.
Opposition leaders called the election a “political charade”, accusing the authorities of silencing dissent and disqualifying rivals.
Two major challengers were barred from the race, and protests erupted in several cities as results trickled in.
Protesters on polling day tore down campaign posters and set fire to government property, witnesses and video footage show.
Security forces responded with tear gas and live rounds in some cities, according to multiple reports.
Rights groups described the poll as one of the most repressive in recent memory. The U.N. confirmed the deaths of at least 10 people in clashes and called for an independent investigation.
The opposition put the figures at over 700.
Samia Suluhu became Tanzania’s first female president in 2021 after John Magufuli’s death.
Her campaign promised stability, economic growth and reforms that would attract investors. Yet critics say the sheer scale of her victory reflects not unity, but fear.
READ ALSO: Dar es Salaam: Protests, Flames and Fury as Tanzania’s Election Rage Defies Curfew
Analysts warn that the absence of credible opposition could harden one-party dominance.
“It’s a democracy in name, not in spirit,” one regional observer said.
The swearing-in is expected within days.
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