Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won the country’s presidential election with 98 percent of the total votes cast.
Gatekeepers News reports that Jacobs Mwambegele, chairperson of the electoral commission, declared Hassan, candidate of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, the winner during an announcement on Saturday morning.
During the election, opposition participation was notably limited, as several candidates were disqualified. Chadema, the largest opposition party, boycotted the election following the imprisonment of its leader, Tundu Lissu, who faces treason charges for advocating electoral reforms. Similarly, Luhaga Mpina of the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo) was barred from contesting.
This election marks Hassan’s first direct mandate as president. The 65-year-old first assumed office in 2021 after the death of then-President John Magufuli, under whom she served as vice-president.
