Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has congratulated Tanzanian leader Samia Suluhu Hassan on her re-election, calling her victory a sign of public confidence in her leadership — even as protests erupted across Tanzania over the exclusion of key opposition candidates.
“I congratulate Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Party on her re-election as President of Tanzania,” Museveni said Monday in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “This victory reflects the confidence that the people of Tanzania have in her leadership and vision. Uganda and Tanzania share historic bonds of friendship and cooperation. I look forward to working with President Samia to further strengthen our partnership in trade, infrastructure, and regional integration for the peace and prosperity of our peoples.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission announced Saturday that Suluhu, 65, had secured more than 31.9 million votes — roughly 97.7 percent of the total — in a race dominated by the ruling CCM, which has governed Tanzania since independence in 1961. The landslide result extends Suluhu’s tenure by another five years, solidifying her position as East Africa’s only female head of state.
But the vote was overshadowed by widespread unrest and allegations of political repression. Tanzania’s two leading opposition figures were barred from contesting, prompting the opposition party CHADEMA to denounce the results as illegitimate.
“CHADEMA strongly rejects the so-called election results announced by the National Electoral Commission,” the party said in a statement on X. “These results have no basis in reality, as the truth is that no genuine election took place in Tanzania.”
The group added that nationwide demonstrations “are clear proof that citizens did not take part in what is being called an election, and that they reject anyone emerging from this flawed electoral process.”
Protests broke out during Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary vote, with demonstrators reportedly tearing down banners of Suluhu and setting fire to government buildings. Security forces responded with tear gas and live ammunition, according to witnesses and local reports.
The unrest followed weeks of tension after the electoral commission barred Suluhu’s two major challengers from running. Human rights organizations say dozens of opposition figures have been arrested or abducted since campaigning began.
In her victory speech from Dodoma, the administrative capital, Suluhu defended the government’s response, saying the protests were “neither responsible nor patriotic.”
“When it comes to the security of Tanzania, there is no debate — we must use all available security avenues to ensure the country remains safe,” she said.
Suluhu, who first rose through the ranks of Zanzibar’s local government, made history in 2021 when she became Tanzania’s first female president following the death of John Pombe Magufuli. Her early tenure was marked by cautious reforms and a loosening of political restrictions. But in recent years, critics say her administration has reverted to the heavy-handed tactics that defined Magufuli’s rule, including the detention of opposition leaders and limits on public gatherings.
International observers have voiced concern over the credibility of the latest election and the shrinking space for dissent in one of East Africa’s largest democracies.
