Voting is currently underway as polls have opened in Tanzania for presidential and parliamentary elections
Tanzania’s registered voters are casting their ballots as voting officially began at 7 a.m. local time and was scheduled to end at 4 p.m., after which vote tallying will begin.
Preliminary results were expected within 24 hours, but the electoral commission has up to seven days to announce the final outcome. The election commission said that it will announce the results within three days of the election day.
Tanzanians are voting in an election that pits incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan against opposition candidates from smaller parties after her main rivals were barred from running.
Hassan’s main rival, Tundu Lissu of the opposition Chadema party, faces treason charges after he called for electoral reforms and is in jail, while the second-largest opposition party, known as ACT-Wazalendo, had its presidential candidate barred from the presidential race. The electoral commission disqualified Chadema in April after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct.
Hassan seeks her first proper term in office after completing the term of her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli, who died suddenly in 2021. Sixteen opposition candidates representing smaller parties are on the ballot.
Hassan campaigned under the slogan “Work and Dignity,” promising to expand opportunities in agriculture and livestock farming, Tanzania’s largest economic sector. Her vision is framed around what’s become known as the Four Rs: reconciliation, reforms, rebuilding and resilience.
A win for Hassan would extend the lengthy rule of her party, known as Chama cha Mapinduzi, or CCM, a version of which has held power in the East African country since 1961.
In addition to the presidential election, voters will choose members of the country’s 400-seat parliament and a President and politicians in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago.
An opposition party in Tanzania’s archipelago of Zanzibar, ACT Wazalendo, alleged that early voting on Tuesday — electoral and security officials cast ballots — was marred by irregularities that included voters impersonating security officials, and the barring of party representatives by electoral officials. However, the electoral commission said that it had followed the law in conducting Tuesday’s early vote.
Tanzania has more than 37 million registered voters, a 26% increase from 2020, but that growth in voter registration is not likely to lead to more people going to the polls, analysts warn, citing apathy over an appearance that Hassan will cruise to victory unchallenged.
According to reports, some polling stations in Dar es Salaam were virtually empty in the morning, which suggested voter turnout may be low.
Internet Connectivity Disrupted In Tanzania
Meanwhile, internet connectivity was disrupted across Tanzania as the country held an election marked by concerns from human rights groups and the detention of opposition members.
Netblocks, an internet access advocacy group, confirmed the outage, saying on X that “live network data show a nationwide disruption to internet connectivity.” Just before the disruption was confirmed, users noted an internet slowdown in the African country.
Amnesty International said the atmosphere around the polls was characterized by fear, saying it had verified cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings ahead of the polls. The rights group said that alleged abuses by the security forces undermine the legitimacy of the election.
In the last two years, rights campaigners and opposition candidates have accused the incumbent government of unexplained abductions of its critics.
However, incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan maintains that her government is committed to respecting human rights and last year ordered an investigation into the reports of abductions. No official findings have been made public.
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