Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan Declared Winner of Disputed Election Amid Deadly Protests.

Dodoma, Tanzania.

Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) has declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of the 2025 general election with 97.66% of the vote, a result that has triggered violent nationwide protests, fraud allegations, and international concern.

The NEC said Hassan received 31.9 million votes out of 32.6 million cast. Turnout was reported at about 87% of the country’s 37.6 million registered voters (32.6 million ballots cast). Her closest rival from the Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ADP) reportedly earned less than 2%.

Opposition parties have rejected the results, calling the vote a “sham election” marred by intimidation, censorship, and the disqualification of key challengers—including Tundu Lissu of Chadema and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo.

Protests erupted in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Mwanza, where demonstrators clashed with police using tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. Authorities imposed a curfew and deployed the army to quell unrest.

Chadema claims around 700 people have been killed in the crackdown, while diplomatic sources cite at least 500 deaths. The UN Human Rights Office confirmed 10 fatalities and urged restraint. Government officials denied using excessive force.

Hassan, 65, who became Tanzania’s first female president in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, ran for her first full term under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). Her declaration extends CCM’s unbroken rule since independence in 1961.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “deep concern” over the violence, while Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned the “climate of fear” surrounding the vote.

As curfews and internet blackouts persist, Hassan’s disputed victory underscores a deepening crisis in Tanzanian democracy, raising fears that what was billed as an election has instead entrenched one-party rule.

The United States has issued a Level 3 travel advisory, urging its citizens to reconsider travel to Tanzania due to political unrest and the risk of violent clashes.