Election-related allegations of excessive military force, politically motivated abductions, and ballot stuffing were all cited by the AU’s election monitoring arm on Wednesday, which sent a team of 72 observers to Tanzania and Zanzibar for the October 29 election.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
According to the mission’s report, the election “did not adhere to AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.” The environment “was not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral results.”
After the election, protesters poured into Dar es Salaam and other cities, where they encountered heavy rain, tear gas, and limited internet access.
Chadema, the country’s main opposition party, has since claimed hundreds of people were killed, a claim that the government has refuted.
Numerous bodies, including those of people who were shot in the head, protesters who had bloody faces, and security forces who were shot in the street, are seen in Al Jazeera’s reviewed videos.
Tanzanian authorities should be restrained and open to “thorough investigations” into the violence against protesters, according to the AU mission.
The report recommended that Tanzania give electoral and political reforms a prioritization to address the root causes of the country’s electoral and democratic challenges that it experienced prior to, during, and after the 2025 general elections.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) issued a rare rebuke of the AU report earlier this week, which detailed “general intimidation” of the opposition and the general public.
In a preliminary report released on Monday, SADC claimed that voters “fell short” of SADC principles.
After her two main rivals were barred from competing, Hassan racked up nearly 98 percent of the vote. The attorney general’s request to exclude the second-largest party, ACT-Wazalendo, from the country’s second-biggest party in April was rejected.
Tundu Lissu, the leader of Chadema, is also facing a treason trial after calling for reforms in the electoral system.
SADC directly documented these events, claiming that the disqualifications had “created an uneven political playing field” that had harmed the democratic process.
SADC last publicly criticizes an African electoral process in 2023 during the election in Zimbabwe. In addition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Botswana, South Africa, Madagascar, and Botswana have seen a number of other elections in recent months.
According to a translation provided by the Associated Press, Hassan made the apparent accusation that foreigners were to blame for the protests in her first statements after being sworn in.
Following John Magufuli’s untimely passing, Hassan came to power in 2021.
Local and international watchdogs have since been calling out her administration’s alleged campaign of forced disappearances, torture, and assault on critics as well as widespread media repression.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply