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Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s 98-percent election win has been described as a “mockery of the democratic process,” according to a spokesman for the country’s main opposition party, Chadema.
Speaking to AFP on Saturday, party representative John Kitoka condemned the outcome and called for international intervention. “We are calling for the intervention by a credible body to oversee another fresh election,” he said.
Kitoka described the result as “a slap on the people’s face,” warning that public anger was rising. “People are very angry, and very soon we are going to announce our reaction that could also include calling for national protests,” he added.
According to Chadema’s internal reports gathered from hospitals and health clinics, “no less than 800 people” have been killed by security forces during protests that erupted on election day.
These figures, however, remain unverified due to a nationwide internet shutdown and restrictions preventing journalists from reporting freely.
Kitoka also dismissed the electoral commission’s claims of an 87-percent voter turnout as “simply a joke.” He continued, “What happened on the 29th of October was simply not an election so whatever comes out of it is illegitimate.”
Meanwhile, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said on Friday that the government had “no figures” on fatalities. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he maintained, “Currently, no excessive force has been used.”
