Suluhu Declared Winner Amid Deadly Protests

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of the Oct. 29 presidential election, with state figures reporting roughly 95–98% of the vote and an expected new five-year term. Opposition parties rejected the results as a sham after key challengers were jailed or barred from running, and international observers warned of serious credibility problems. The vote was accompanied by days of violent protests and running battles with anti-riot police, a nationwide internet shutdown and imposed curfews, with reports of deaths and injuries amid conflicting tallies that the blackout has made hard to verify. The government defended the process as free and democratic and credited security forces with keeping voting going; ruling CCM also claimed a decisive victory in Zanzibar where its candidate won nearly 80% amid opposition fraud allegations. Protesters mobilized online via VPNs and platforms such as X Spaces despite the shutdown, and rights groups have expressed concern, leaving the election's legitimacy widely disputed domestically and internationally.