Tanzania’s president sworn in after disputed election
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in in a ceremony limited to guests, following a controversial election that sparked deadly protests after two main opposition candidates were blocked from running.
The ceremony was held on state-owned land in the administrative capital Dodoma on Monday, where the president was sworn in at public football stadiums; This was a difference from the past.
Tensions remained high in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam after three days of election protests.
Service stations and grocery stores were closed and the streets were nearly empty as government employees continued to work from home.
In Dodoma, most people stayed at home.
The October 29 elections were marred by violence as demonstrators took to the streets of major cities to protest the poll and stop the counting of votes.
The army was deployed to help the police suppress the riots. Internet connections are on and off in the East African country, disrupting travel and other activities.
Protests spread across Tanzania and the government postponed the reopening of universities scheduled for November 3.
Tanzanian authorities did not say how many people were killed or injured in the violence.
Seif Magango, a spokesman for the U.N. human rights office, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva on Friday that there were credible reports of 10 deaths in Dar es Salaam and the towns of Shinyanga and Morogoro, via video from Kenya.
The election results were rejected by the main opposition party, Chadema.
Part of the party’s statement read: “These conclusions have no basis in reality because the truth is that no real election took place in Tanzania.”
Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu was sentenced to several months in prison after being charged with treason for calling for electoral reforms that he said were necessary for a free and fair vote.
Another opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo Party, was barred from candidacy.
The presidents of Mozambique, Zambia, Burundi and Somalia attended Monday’s swearing-in ceremony.
Kenyan President William Ruto issued a statement on Monday calling on Tanzanians to maintain peace and engage in dialogue among stakeholders to maintain national stability.
Ruto did not travel to Dodoma on Monday and was represented by the vice president.
Election violence in Tanzania led to the closure of the Kenyan border crossing at Namanga, where agricultural produce on trucks had been rotting for six days.
