ALBAWABA - In the national elections that were marred by bloody unrest, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan won by a landslide. Reports say that hundreds of people died in violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
State media say that early results show Hassan, the head of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, winning 95% of the vote. The main opposition parties boycotted the election because their top candidates were either in jail or not allowed to run. The final results should be in within a few hours, and the inauguration ceremony is set for later on Saturday.
Violent Aftermath and Rising Death Toll
The elections, which took place on Wednesday, led to widespread protests across the country because opposition candidates were not allowed to run. Protests broke out in many cities, and the opposition party Chadema said that security forces had killed about 700 people since the election.
A security source and a diplomat in Dar es Salaam said that the number of deaths was "in the hundreds." The UN Human Rights Office also said that at least 10 deaths had been confirmed in three cities, which was the first time that deaths had been reported internationally.
Pictures and videos that were shared online showed scenes of chaos, with demonstrators carrying bodies and police and civilians fighting heavily, especially near Namanga, which is on the Kenyan border.
Government Denials and Lack of Information
Since the protests started, President Hassan has said nothing. Her government denied claims of excessive force, saying that the opposition's numbers were "very exaggerated."
Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, the foreign minister of Tanzania, denied the claims and said that the police acted legally.
Authorities have put a curfew in place across the country, limited journalists' access, and cut off internet access, making it almost impossible to check reports or get information from other sources.
Since early Wednesday, news outlets haven't changed their coverage, and foreign reporters couldn't report from some areas.
International Worry and Calls for Calm
More and more people around the world are worried about the situation. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said he was "deeply concerned" about reports of deaths and injuries. He called for a "full, impartial investigation" into the alleged use of too much force.
The foreign ministers of the UK, Canada, and Norway all signed a letter asking the Tanzanian government to respect people's right to gather and speak out and to be as restrained as possible when dealing with protests.
