The African Union (AU) has declared that Tanzania’s October 29 general election failed to meet democratic standards, citing widespread irregularities, exclusion of opposition parties, and deadly post-election unrest.
In a preliminary report released on Wednesday, the AU’s observer mission said the vote that handed President Samia Suluhu Hassan a landslide victory “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.”
The mission reported incidents of ballot stuffing and multiple voting at several polling stations, as well as the absence of party agents and cases where observers were expelled during vote counting.
“Tanzania should prioritise electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of its democratic and electoral challenges witnessed ahead of, during, and after last week’s elections,” the mission added.
President Hassan, who was sworn in for a second term on Monday after being credited with 98% of the vote, has dismissed allegations of large-scale fraud. Her government maintains that the election was “free, fair, and transparent.”
However, the opposition party CHADEMA, which was barred from contesting the election, accused authorities of orchestrating a sham poll and violently suppressing protests.
The party claims to have documented hundreds of deaths, while Boniface Mwabukusi, president of the Tanganyika Law Society, estimated the toll to exceed 1,000 based on reports from local contacts.
“The exact number is difficult to confirm because the government is intimidating citizens and blocking information flow,” Mwabukusi said.
Hassan acknowledged that some people were killed during the unrest but called opposition figures’ claims of mass casualties “hugely exaggerated.”
The AU’s findings add to growing international concern over Tanzania’s democratic trajectory, with rights groups calling for an independent investigation and urgent reforms to prevent further erosion of political freedoms.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
