Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan wins 97.66% in a vote without main opposition. Protests erupt, internet shut, casualties reported. A landslide without competition.
Sseema Giill
Tanzania has declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of its October 29 presidential election with 97.66% of the vote. Official turnout was reported at 87%. Supporters called it a historic mandate. Critics called it a coronation.
The result was never in doubt. The main opposition party, Chadema, was barred from running. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, remained in prison on treason charges. The second-largest opposition party’s candidate was disqualified on procedural grounds. Hassan faced only minor candidates with negligible national support.
As results were announced, protests erupted in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Songwe, and other cities. Demonstrators tore down campaign posters and clashed with security forces. Police deployed tear gas and live ammunition. A nationwide internet blackout was imposed, followed by a curfew to suppress crowds. The government dismissed reports of widespread casualties as “isolated incidents,” while opposition figures claimed hundreds of deaths. Independent verification remains limited due to the shutdown.
Hassan came to power in 2021 after the sudden death of President John Magufuli. Initially welcomed as a reformer, she reversed course as the opposition gained momentum, turning to arrests, internet controls, and restrictive media laws. Over the past year, analysts documented abductions, surveillance efforts, and expanding digital censorship.
The imprisonment of Tundu Lissu—who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 and emerged as a powerful challenger in the 2020 election—removed the most credible alternative. His “No Reform, No Elections” call was treated by courts as incitement. With Lissu sidelined and party structures weakened, voter choice was largely symbolic.
Even regional observer groups, typically diplomatic in their assessments, were denied election access. That exclusion marked a shift: not just controlling competition, but removing outside witnesses.
Tanzania’s youth—nearly 60% of the population—played a visible role in the protests. Many bypassed the blackout using VPNs to coordinate and stream events. Their presence underscores a growing demographic tension: a ruling party anchored in post-independence politics versus a digitally connected generation demanding political renewal.
The internet shutdown represented a familiar authoritarian tactic. Yet it was imperfect. VPN usage spiked. Social media posts from Tanzanian cities circulated globally. The confrontation revealed the new reality of political control in the digital era: governments can disrupt communications, but cannot fully contain them.
Arrests extended beyond politicians and activists to influencers and commentators. Posting a meme or sarcastic take on the vote was enough to prompt police action. The state’s information strategy mixed force, fear, and algorithmic monitoring.
On paper, Tanzania remains a multiparty democracy. Ballots were printed. Campaigns existed. Polling stations opened. But the core features of competitive electoral politics—free entry, equal campaigning, independent observation, and real uncertainty—were not present.
A 97.66% margin in such conditions signals not overwhelming national unity, but the near-total removal of viable dissent.
Hassan now holds a commanding grip on the state. Expect:
The youth discontent visible in the streets will not disappear. Whether it evolves into renewed civil society activism or deeper disillusionment remains uncertain.
This election did not collapse Tanzanian democracy. It formalized its erosion.
The vote reaffirmed a political structure where elections occur, but choice does not. Citizens cast ballots, but outcomes are predetermined. Stability is enforced, not earned.
A 98% victory in a system built to avoid contestation is not a sign of overwhelming trust—it is a signal of how thoroughly competition has been neutralized.
Was this election free and fair?
The vote occurred, but opposition leaders were jailed or excluded, limiting genuine competition.
Why was the internet shut down?
To disrupt protest coordination and control information flows during and after voting.
Will Tundu Lissu be released?
Uncertain. His detention neutralizes him politically, so timing will depend on internal and external pressure.
How does this compare to other regional elections?
Tanzania joins a trend in East Africa where elections maintain form but lose substance, mirroring patterns in Rwanda and Uganda.
Is Tanzania still a democracy?
Formally, yes. Functionally, it has shifted toward electoral authoritarianism—ritualized elections without real contestation.
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