DODOMA, Tanzania – Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday for a second term following an election marred by widespread violence, internet blackouts, and allegations of mass killings by security forces.
The inauguration, held under tight security at a military parade ground in Dodoma, was closed to the public but broadcast live on state television.
The authorities cited “security reasons” for the restrictions, while most of the country remained under an internet shutdown imposed on election day last week.
Hassan, 64, was declared the winner on Saturday with 98 percent of the vote, in a poll boycotted by the opposition and condemned by international observers as neither free nor fair. Key rivals were either jailed or disqualified before voting began.
“The people have spoken. Tanzania has chosen peace and democracy,” President Hassan said in her victory address, dismissing reports of unrest as “lies by unpatriotic elements.”
Opposition cries foul
The main opposition party, Chadema, rejected the results outright, calling the election a “sham” and demanding a fresh vote.
Party officials told AFP that at least 800 people were killed in clashes with police and the military, though the figures could not be independently verified.
A diplomatic source in Dar es Salaam told the BBC there was “credible evidence” of at least 500 deaths, while the UN human rights office reported “credible accounts” of at least 10 deaths across three cities.
Government officials have denied using excessive force, saying security agencies acted within the law. No official death toll has been released.
Nation in lockdown
Tanzania has been largely sealed off from the outside world since the vote, with an ongoing internet blackout severely restricting the flow of information.
Schools remain closed, public transport is suspended, and soldiers are patrolling major cities.
Residents in Dar es Salaam reported being stopped at police checkpoints and ordered to show identification, while shops were allowed to open only briefly during the weekend.
On the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, AFP journalists saw armed men in plain clothes patrolling streets without insignia.
A Kenyan rights group on Sunday released graphic videos allegedly showing piles of bodies on Tanzanian streets, though the footage could not be independently verified.
Global concern
The violence has drawn international condemnation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by reports of killings and urged all sides to exercise restraint.
Pope Leo XIV also called for prayers for Tanzania, saying the country was experiencing “post-election violence with numerous victims.”
From vice-president to strongwoman
Hassan, who became Tanzania’s first female president in 2021 following the sudden death of John Magufuli, is now seen as consolidating power within the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
Analysts say the landslide win was intended to silence internal dissent and project authority after a turbulent first term.
Rights groups accuse her administration of overseeing a “wave of terror” ahead of the vote, including alleged abductions of opposition figures and activists in the final days before polling.
Despite a near-empty turnout at some polling stations observed by journalists, the electoral commission claimed 87 percent voter participation.
