Hassan wins Tanzania election with 98% of vote as unrest spreads

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania’s disputed presidential election, taking nearly 98 percent of the vote in a contest marred by unrest, opposition exclusion and allegations of fraud.

Jacobs Mwambegele, the country’s electoral chief, announced the result on Saturday morning, saying Hassan, candidate of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, secured about 31.9 million votes, or 97.66 percent of the total, with voter turnout at nearly 87 percent.

Her victory, which extends CCM’s decades-long rule, came after leading opposition figures were barred from the race and as demonstrations swept across major cities. Protesters accused the government of silencing dissent and rigging the process.

In Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous Indian Ocean archipelago, CCM’s Hussein Mwinyi was also declared the winner, taking nearly 80 percent of the vote. Opposition parties there rejected the outcome, calling it a “massive fraud,” according to the Associated Press.

The election triggered several days of violent protests. Witnesses said demonstrators tore down government posters, blocked roads, and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas and live ammunition. Hospitals reported dozens of injuries, and the opposition party Chadema claimed that about 700 people had been killed — a figure impossible to verify due to an internet shutdown and restricted media access.

The UN human rights office said it had received credible reports of at least 10 deaths in three cities. Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary general expressed deep concern about the situation, urging restraint and respect for human rights.

Authorities extended a nationwide curfew on Friday in an attempt to quell the unrest. Government officials have downplayed the scale of the violence, calling the protests isolated incidents.

Hassan, 65, has not yet made a public statement on the election or the unrest. She first assumed the presidency in 2021 after the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, becoming Tanzania’s first female head of state.

While the electoral commission hailed the election as free and fair, international observers raised concerns over transparency, the absence of key opposition figures, and the intimidation of voters. With the streets still tense and internet access limited.