Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in for a second term as Tanzania's president on 3 November, just three days after contentious elections plunged the nation into violence. The inauguration ceremony took place at a military facility in the capital Dodoma only a handful of the country's political and military elite were allowed access. Hassan, who has been in office since 2021 following the death of President John Magufuli, was declared winner of the presidential election with 97.6 of the vote.
The results were rejected by the opposition and a significant portion of the population, who took to the streets in droves to protest against an electoral process that for many felt more like a coronation ceremony for an imperial presidency than a real democratic choice. Scores were killed and injured by security forces who used live ammunition and brute force to disperse crowds. An official tally of the dead, injured and missing is yet to be released, but UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk had reports of "hundreds" being killed in the security crackdowns in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha and other parts of the country where protests erupted.
Robbed of choiceThough 16 other candidates ran against Hassan, critics charge that their participation was merely to maintain the illusion of choice. Experienced political opponents with considerable public support, including Tundu Lissu of the Chadema party and Luhaga Mpina of the Alliance for Change and Transparency, were excluded from the race. Lissu is in police custody on charges of treason while Mpina was disqualified from running on technicalities.
