Hundreds feared dead in the election after the President claimed 98pc of the vote

Hundreds of people have been killed in election protests in Tanzania, according to opposition groups.

President Samia Sudu Hashan had sought to undermine his position and turn critics away from his party with an emphatic result in Wednesday’s election. His main opponents were locked up or banned from standing.

He was declared the winner on Saturday, with the East African Country Electoral Commission saying that he won 97.66 percent of the vote, dominating all the polls.

It added that approval was done by 87 percent, despite reports from observers that polling stations were empty earlier in the day before election day due to protests.

Crowds took to the streets of Dar es Salaam and other cities, tearing down his posters and attacking police and polling stations, leading to Internet shutdowns and curfews. The main opposition party says 700 people have been killed since Friday.

In the run-up to the vote, rights groups suspect a “wave of panic”, including a string of high-profile arrests in recent days. Much of the public anger was directed at Hassan’s son, Abdul Halim Hafidh Amer, who was accused of overseeing the crackdown.

Opposition parties and others said the poll was not a contest but a corruption. After Hassan’s two main rivals were banned or banned from working. He faced 16 elections from minor parties. A quick swearing-in ceremony took place on Saturday, State TV said.

With foreign journalists heavily barred from covering the election and a communications blackout entering its third day, information from the ground has been scarce.

Chadema, the main opposition party, was banned from participating in the election and its leader accused of treason. Clashes continued between protesters and security forces in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, on Friday.

John Kitoka, Chadema spokesperson, said: “As we speak the number of deaths in Dar [es Salaam] about 350 and in mwanza it is 200 plus. Added to the figures in other areas across the country, the total number is 700. “

He also added that the death toll would have been much higher if he had been killed during the night time.

Global organizations have low starting numbers. The UN said “credible reports” indicated 10 dead, while Amnesty International said it had knowledge of at least 100 killed. Many hospitals and health clinics were too afraid to speak directly to AFP, the report said.

President Hassan was yet to comment on areas that are not in the news and domestic areas have not been updated since Wednesday. The only official statement came from Chief Chief Jacob Mkunda of late who called the protestors “rebels”.

In Zanzibar, a tourist destination with its own independent Government, Hamis MBETO, spokesperson for the Hassan Revolution Party (Chama Chapinduzi, or CCM), said that the Internet will return when the situation returns.

Hassan has faced opposition from parts of the army and his allies, John Magufulufu, since he took over following his death in 2021, analysts said.

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