Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has secured a massive 97.6% of the total votes, according to figures released by the electoral commission on Saturday. The announcement comes after a highly controversial election dogged by the absence of key opposition contenders, low voter participation, and several days of violent demonstrations.
The final declaration delivered three days after the polls, only confirmed what many already expected. Hassan’s biggest challengers had either been barred from the election or jailed months before voting even began.
This marks her first official electoral mandate as president after taking over leadership in 2021 following the death of former President John Magufuli.
Observers reported a strikingly low voter turnout, with many polling stations nearly deserted.
Videos circulating online showed protesters seizing ballot boxes and throwing ballots onto the streets in dramatic acts of resistance.
The credibility of the election was further questioned as the country’s two main opposition parties were absent from the ballot entirely, their leaders blocked from contesting.
When the results were announced, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial hub remained on edge. This followed three straight days of unrest, protests, and violent clashes that began as soon as voting started in the nation of 68 million people.
The rising tension has triggered travel warnings from several embassies, urging their staff to avoid unnecessary movement amid growing fears about instability.
