Samia Suluhu Hassan secures victory in Tanzania’s presidential election

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election, securing 97.66% of the vote, according to official results released by the electoral commission. The Independent Electoral Commission announced the results early on Saturday, confirming that President Hassan, the candidate of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, received nearly 32 million votes. Seventeen candidates took part in Wednesday’s poll. The outcome cements Hassan’s position as the first woman to be elected president in Tanzania’s history, after she first assumed offic

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election, securing 97.66% of the vote, according to official results released by the electoral commission. The Independent Electoral Commission announced the results early on Saturday, confirming that President Hassan, the candidate of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, received nearly 32 million votes. Seventeen candidates took part in Wednesday’s poll. The outcome cements Hassan’s position as the first woman to be elected president in Tanzania’s history, after she first assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli. However, the vote has not been without controversy. The UN Human Rights Office reported that at least 10 people were killed during post-election protests in several parts of the country. Opposition groups have accused the electoral commission of bias and claimed the process lacked transparency allegations the government denies. In the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, Hussein Mwinyi, also representing the CCM, won re-election with 80% of the vote, extending the ruling party’s long-standing dominance across both the mainland and the islands. President Hassan, 65, is now set to begin her first elected term, promising to continue her agenda of economic reform, gender inclusion, and diplomatic engagement that has marked her leadership since 2021. Her government has been praised for efforts to reopen Tanzania to the international community after years of isolation under Magufuli. Yet, critics argue that political freedoms remain restricted, and opposition voices continue to face pressure.