Election protests erupt in Tanzania with opposition leaders jailed, disqualified
Election season in Tanzania has followed a familiar pattern. Posters went up and ballots were mailed out. Then activists were abducted and opposition leaders were jailed.
When Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in four years ago after the death of her predecessor — making her the first Tanzanian woman to ascend to the presidency — there were brief hopes she would relax the country’s repressive political climate. But as she runs for reelection on Wednesday, her main opponents have been detained or disqualified, and those who have spoken out against her have been met with violence.
Protests broke out in Dar es Salaam, the country’s largest city, on Wednesday morning shortly after the polls opened. Protesters blocked roads and lit fires as they gathered in crowds, some on motorbikes.
A member of the public and a police officer died in clashes, said Tigere Chagutah, director for east and southern Africa for human rights group Amnesty International, in a statement that urged police to “exercise restraint.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/29/tanzania-election-president-samia-suluhu-hassan-opposition/
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