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Nov 2 – Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, has dismissed President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s 98 per cent election victory, calling it a sham exercise carried out under intimidation, mass arrests and media blackout, as the country counts the cost of days of violent unrest. The party says the result “makes a mockery of the democratic process” and has demanded a fresh poll to be supervised by an independent and credible body. Chadema spokesman John Kitoka said the vote could not be regarded as free or fair because most serious challengers were either locked up, barred from contesting or placed under tight security surveillance in the days leading to the poll, effectively clearing the field for the incumbent. He said the officially announced 87 per cent voter turnout was “simply a joke” and insisted that “what happened on 29 October was not an election, so whatever has come out of it is illegitimate”. The party is also alleging a staggering human toll, claiming that its monitors in hospitals and health centres across several regions have recorded more than 700 people killed since election day as security forces moved to break up demonstrations, disperse crowds and prevent opposition gatherings. The figures cannot be independently verified because Tanzania has been under a nationwide internet shutdown for the fourth straight day and journalists have been blocked from accessing many of the affected areas. Local activists say many of the dead and injured were shot or beaten when police and soldiers moved into opposition strongholds overnight. Authorities have responded to the unrest with sweeping security measures. A night-time curfew has been declared in parts of Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha and several towns along the northern corridor, with armoured vehicles and patrols visible on major roads. Residents report door-to-door searches, mass arrests of young men suspected of joining the protests and the presence of both military and police units in neighbourhoods that voted heavily for the opposition. Families trying to trace missing relatives say they have been turned away from police stations and some hospitals are allegedly keeping casualty information away from the public. Despite the volatile situation, government officials are pressing ahead with plans for Samia Suluhu Hassan to take the oath of office, framing the unrest as the work of “disgruntled groups” and insisting that security agencies have used “necessary force” to maintain order. Opposition leaders, however, say it is impossible to swear in a president while the country is under curfew, the internet is shut, opposition leaders are in custody and hundreds of families are mourning loved ones. They have warned that they will announce a coordinated response, including possible nationwide protests, once communication is restored. Chadema is now calling on regional bodies and international partners to intervene, arguing that only an external, credible mechanism can restore confidence in the electoral process and protect citizens from further abuses. The party says it wants all political detainees released, an end to the military presence in civilian areas, restoration of internet services, publication of the real voter register and a rerun of the election under a reconstituted electoral commission.
