Overview
- The electoral commission announced President Samia Suluhu Hassan won about 98% of the vote, extending the ruling CCM’s decades-long dominance.
- Key challengers, including Tundu Lissu and Luhaga Mpina, were detained or disqualified, and the opposition party Chadema boycotted the election.
- Large demonstrations have spread since Wednesday’s vote as authorities cut internet access, with various sources reporting hundreds of deaths that remain unverified.
- Officials deny excessive force while the army chief labeled protesters criminals, and Dar es Salaam on Saturday saw heavy checkpoints and limits on movement.
- The UN human rights office urged restraint, the release of detainees, and restoration of connectivity, as foreign advisories warned against nonessential travel and an Italian student group sheltered in Pomerini.