Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, has rejected President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s landslide election victory, denouncing the results as “completely fabricated” and accusing the government of staging a sham vote marred by repression and exclusion.
The party, which was barred from participating after refusing to sign an electoral code of conduct, issued a blistering statement late on Saturday, saying the poll lacked credibility and legitimacy. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, has been in custody since April on treason charges.
“CHADEMA strongly rejects the so-called election results announced by the National Electoral Commission. These results have no basis in reality, as no genuine election took place in Tanzania,” the party said on X, adding that nationwide demonstrations reflected the public’s rejection of the process.
The government has yet to respond formally to CHADEMA’s statement.
Protests erupted across several regions following Wednesday’s vote, with witnesses reporting violent confrontations between demonstrators and police. Crowds tore down posters of President Hassan, set government buildings ablaze, and clashed with security forces who responded with tear gas and live ammunition.
CHADEMA claimed on Friday that hundreds had been killed in the unrest, though the UN human rights office put the confirmed death toll at ten, spread across three cities. Reuters said it could not independently verify the figures. Human rights groups have also cited widespread arrests and abductions of opposition figures in the lead-up to the polls.
The government dismissed the opposition’s death toll as “hugely exaggerated” and defended its handling of the elections, insisting that order and security must be maintained.
Speaking from the capital, Dodoma, after being certified as the winner, President Hassan condemned the protests as “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 declared.
Authorities have since imposed a nationwide curfew and restricted internet access, with international flights cancelled and operations at the Port of Dar es Salaam severely disrupted.
The unrest has left Tanzania facing its gravest political crisis in years — and questions over whether its democratic institutions can still command public trust.
