Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan declared winner of election

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election with nearly 98 percent of the vote, after leading rivals were excluded from the race.

The final result announced by the electoral commission on Saturday showed Hassan had won 97.66 percent of Wednesday’s vote, dominating every constituency.

A spokesman for the main opposition party Chadema, which was barred from taking part in the election, slammed Hassan’s victory as a “mockery of the democratic process”,

“We are calling for the intervention by a credible body to oversee another fresh election,” John Kitoka told AFP news agency.

In a speech from the administrative capital Dodoma after being certified as the winner, Hassan said the actions of the protesters were “neither responsible nor patriotic”.

“When it comes to the security of Tanzania, there is no debate – we must use all available security avenues to ensure the country remains safe,” she said.

The election for president and parliament set off days of violent protests as demonstrators took to the streets of major cities to protest against the barring or prevention of Hassan’s main rivals from running and what they described as widespread repression.

Despite a heavy security presence, election day descended into chaos, with some demonstrators tearing down banners of Hassan and setting fire to government buildings, and police firing tear gas and gunshots, according to reports quoting witnesses. Internet connectivity watchdog NetBlocks said access to social media and mobile internet was restricted across several cities during and after the vote.

Chadema told AFP on Friday that “about 700” people had been killed, based on figures gathered from a network checking hospitals and health clinics. On Saturday, Kitoka said the party’s monitors had reported “no less than 800 people” were killed by security forces in protests this week.

Me