Photo credit: Reuters
The African Union’s observer mission has declared that Tanzania’s election failed to comply with democratic standards.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the landslide winner of the election, while opponents accused the government of fraud. There were protests over the exclusion of her main challengers.
The mission said, “At this preliminary stage, the Mission concludes that the 2025 Tanzania General Election did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.”
The observers witnessed ballot stuffing at several polling stations, where people were issued multiple ballots to vote, according to the statement. Party agents were also absent, while some observers were asked to leave the polling stations during the counting process
Meanwhile, the government maintains the election was fair and transparent..
The main opposition party, CHADEMA, was barred from participating in the election. It says it has documented hundreds of deaths in the protests.
Getting a precise number was difficult. This is because the government was threatening people to prevent them from sharing information, according to Boniface Mwabukusi, the president of the Tanganyika Law Society.
Hassan was sworn back into office on Monday after being credited with 98 per cent of the vote. She acknowledged that people died, but her government has called the toll highly exaggerated.
The AU mission said, “Tanzania should prioritise electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of its democratic and electoral challenges witnessed ahead of, during, and after last week’s elections.”
