Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in for a second term on Monday at a tightly controlled ceremony that was closed to the public and held on military parade grounds in the administrative capital, Dodoma, instead of the usual open stadium setting.
The swearing-in follows an election that the electoral commission said Ms. Hassan won with roughly 98% of the vote, a result denounced by the main opposition and criticised by international observers as lacking credibility. The vote and its aftermath sparked street protests across major cities that security forces moved to suppress.
Human rights monitors and the UN reported credible accounts of fatalities during the post-election unrest; independent tallies vary, with opposition figures warning of much larger death tolls while UN briefings cited a confirmed minimum figure. Authorities deployed additional police and military units and maintained an elevated security presence around the inauguration.
The government also imposed measures that disrupted communications during and after the vote — including an internet blackout that was partially lifted only as the inauguration proceeded — complicating independent verification of events on the ground and limiting public access to live coverage.
At the ceremony Ms. Hassan acknowledged the unrest but attributed parts of the turmoil to external actors, saying foreigners had a role in stoking the protests — remarks that came as regional leaders attending the inauguration urged calm and dialogue. Several international organisations and rights groups have called for transparent investigations into the election and the reported abuses.
follow-up reporting is expected on independent investigations into the reported deaths, any legal challenges by opposition parties, and whether international actors will press for electoral reviews or targeted responses to the restrictions and arrests that followed the vote.
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