Tanzania's Suluhu sworn in after election marred by violent protests

Dar es Salaam (AFP/dpa) - Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan was inaugurated as the country's president on Monday, state TV showed, with an internet blackout still holding after election protests in which the opposition says hundreds were killed by security forces.

Suluhu, who has been in office since 2021, after former president John Magufuli died, won 97.66 percent of the vote in this year's election, according to the Electoral Commission. She took the oath of office in front of officials and foreign dignitaries on what appeared to be parade grounds in State House in the capital Dodoma, rather than at a stadium as usual.

Earlier the national broadcaster said the public would not attend the event. Hassan now started a new five-year term in the country of around 70 million residents.

No internet services in Tanzania since unrest erupted

It was an election marred by violent protests in a country which has long been viewed as an island of stability in East Africa. 

According to the United Nations human rights office, credible reports indicate at least 10 demonstrators were killed, as security forces used firearms and tear gas to disperse them. The opposition has been reported as saying hundreds were killed, but there have been no verifiable details on casualties. Internet services in Tanzania have not been available since unrest erupted on Wednesday, and phone services have been severely restricted.

Protests broke out against the exclusion of the two main opposition candidates from the election, including Chadema, the largest opposition party, whos party head Tundu Lissu is facing charges of incitement and treason. On Friday, thousands took to the streets to march on the State House in Dar es Salaam, the East African country's largest city. 

Observers believe Hassan's CCM party will retain its parliamentary majority. The CCM has ruled the country since independence more than 60 years ago. Hassan initially had pledged to open up the country politically but is seen as having backtracked. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accuse Tanzanian security organs of detaining opposition figures, censorship and intimidation.

Opposition regards the election as "slap on the face" and "simply a joke" 

The opposition spoke out clearly. Suluhu's victory is a "mockery of the democratic process", a spokesman for Chadema told French news agency AFP.  "We are calling for the intervention by a credible body to oversee another fresh election," said John Kitoka. "That is a slap on the people's face, and people are very angry, and very soon we are going to announce our reaction that could also include calling for national protests," he said. Chadema's monitors in hospitals and health clinics have reported "no less than 800 people" killed by security forces in the protests, Kitoka said. Kitoka said also the electoral commission's figures of an 87-percent turnout in the election were "simply a joke". 

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said Friday that his government had "no figures" on any dead. "Currently, no excessive force has been used," he said in an interview with TV station Al Jazeera.

EU calls for "a thorough investigation into reported incidents of violence"

The European Union on Sunday called on Tanzanian authorities to avoid adding to the violence that erupted after the contested re-election of the president. "Reliable reports of large number of fatalities and significant injuries are of extreme concern. The EU urges authorities to exercise maximum restraint to preserve human lives," Kaja Kallas, the EU's chief diplomat, said in a statement.

The EU is "very concerned" about "the violence, the internet shutdown as well as reports of irregularities in the election process in some places," Kallas added. She also highlighted the "lack of level playing field" ahead of the election, which was marked by reports of "disappearances and violence limiting the civic and democratic space".

"The EU calls for the release of all detained politicians and for a transparent and fair trial of those arrested," the EU's foreign policy chief said. She called for a thorough investigation into reported incidents of violence and abductions. 

The African Union chair "deeply regrets the loss of human life" in the election protests in Tanzania, but congratulated Samia Suluhu Hassan on her victory. The chair of the AU's secretariat, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said he "takes note of the results of the presidential election in Tanzania and  congratulates H.E. President Samia Suluhu Hassan for her victory." "The Chairperson deeply regrets the loss of human life during the post-electoral protests and extends his sincere condolences  to the families of the victims," it added.