Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Wins Presidential Election Amid Violent Protests

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has secured a landslide victory in the country’s 2025 presidential election.

The election results, announced on state television on Saturday, showed Samia Suluhu winning 97.66 percent of the vote, sweeping every constituency.

Her swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for the same day.

The vote came after key opposition figures were jailed or barred from running, sparking violent protests across the country.

The main opposition party, Chadema, says hundreds have been killed by security forces since election day on Wednesday.

Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was the former vice-president, became president in 2021 after the sudden death of John Magufuli.

Analysts note that she has faced resistance from some military factions and Magufuli loyalists, and her landslide win is seen as an effort to consolidate her power.

Human rights groups report a “wave of terror” leading up to the election, including multiple high-profile abductions.

Chadema was prevented from participating, and its leader faces treason charges.

Despite heavy security, election day erupted into chaos, with protesters tearing down posters, attacking police and polling stations, prompting an internet shutdown and a nationwide curfew.

Chadema claims that around 700 people have been killed, citing data collected from hospitals and clinics.

A security source and diplomat in Dar es Salaam both told AFP that deaths were “in the hundreds”.

Hassan has not commented publicly on the unrest and her government denied using excessive force but has maintained strict lockdowns and curtailed communications, limiting access to information.

Journalists have faced restrictions, and many news websites have not been updated since Wednesday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over reports of deaths and injuries during the demonstrations.

Criticism has also targeted Hassan’s son, Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir, accused by some of directing the crackdown.

While there have been unconfirmed claims of some army units siding with protesters, the army chief, Jacob Mkunda, publicly supported Hassan, calling the demonstrators “criminals.”

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, have denied using excessive force and claimed no official figures on casualties, asserting that no protesters had been confirmed dead.

“Currently, no excessive force has been used,” he said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “There’s no number until now of any protesters killed.”

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