Tanzania announces formation of commission of inquiry to investigate election protests killings
Young people in Tanzania began demonstrating on Election Day on October 29 to protest the exclusion of presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties. President Hassan was declared the winner with more than 97 per cent of the total votes.
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President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of her predecessor, took more than 97 per cent of the vote, according to an official tally. Her main rivals, Tundu Lissu of Chadema and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, were barred from running.
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The trend points to deeper structural problems with Africa’s underlying political environment, said Jeffrey Smith, executive director of democracy-focused Vanguard Africa non-profit. He said all three countries feature incumbents leveraging state resources to stay in power, partisan security forces as well as flawed legal processes.
Coup in the offing? Tanzania sinks further into abyss as military appears sympathetic to protesters
A similar situation to what is happening in Tanzania is also currently unfolding in Cameroon where 92-yar old Paul Biya – in power since 1982 – was early this week declared winner, sparking protests that have since received the support of the military. Like President Suluhi Hassan, President Biya – who spends more than 80 per cent of his time in France – had used the courts, police and electoral commission to arbitrarily lock out opponents.
Protests in Tanzania enter day two as 10 reportedly killed, EU calls for ‘firm stand in the defence of democracy and human rights’
The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM, which has been in power since independence in 1961, sought to extend its rule in Wednesday’s election, with presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties barred from running.
Empty polling stations as voters in Tanzania give Suluhu Hassan ‘coronation’ a wide birth
Humphrey Polepole, a former CCM spokesman and ambassador to Cuba, went missing from his home this month after resigning and criticising Hassan. His family found blood stains in his home.
Domino effect: Arrest and release of Tanzania opposition leaders linked to youth protests in Kenya
“We won’t provide a chance to a few criminals to destroy peace by copying what is happening in neighbouring countries,” police commissioner Awadh Haji said late on Monday, a likely reference to weeks of youth-led protests in Kenya this year which inspired demonstrations in Nigeria and Uganda.
