DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has secured a landslide victory in Wednesday’s presidential election, winning over 97% of the vote, according to official results announced by the National Electoral Commission. The outcome extends the Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party’s decades-long rule since Tanzania’s independence from Britain in 1961.
The election took place amid concerns over political repression and restrictions on opposition groups. Chadema opposition leader Freeman Mbowe has been jailed for months on treason charges following calls for electoral reforms. Luhaga Mpina, of the ACT-Wazalendo group, was barred from running.
Rights groups,including Amnesty International,reported a pattern of enforced disappearances,arbitrary arrests,and extrajudicial killings in the lead-up to the polls. A United Nations panel of human rights experts cited over 200 cases of enforced disappearance since 2019, expressing alarm over “a pattern of repression.” The International crisis Group noted an “unprecedented crackdown on political opponents” under Hassan’s leadership, citing restrictions on social media platforms like X and JamiiForums, and intimidation of critical voices.
Critics argue Hassan’s approach differs from previous leaders who, while maintaining control, tolerated a degree of opposition. Her leadership is described as more authoritarian, contrasting with youth-led democracy movements gaining traction elsewhere in the region.
CCM maintains ties with the Communist Party of china and is deeply integrated with the Tanzanian state, controlling the security apparatus and facilitating leadership transitions every five to ten years. This orderly succession has contributed to Tanzania’s reputation for political stability and peace, bolstering CCM’s support, especially in rural areas.
