The president who has caused Tanzania to boil: "A mockery of the democratic process"
Violent protests have raged in Tanzania for several days.
Behind the riots is a presidential election - which is accused of having been rigged.
The opposition calls the election "a mockery of the democratic process".
On Wednesday, the polling stations opened in the presidential election that ignited the anger of the people.
The country's sitting president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, later declared herself the winner with 98 percent of the vote.
But the country's two largest opposition leaders were prevented from participating, one imprisoned and the other disqualified.
Election authorities say voter turnout was as high as 87 percent, while observers on the ground say that significantly fewer people voted.
The opposition has called the election “a mockery of the democratic process,” according to the AP news agency.
“We demand that a credible body intervene to monitor a new election,” a party spokesman said after the votes were counted.
The protests, which according to several media outlets were largely driven by people from Generation Z, broke out shortly after the election was held and are the largest in over 60 years in the country.
They have been met with violent resistance from the police, who have thrown tear gas and beaten protesters with batons.
The internet has also been shut down across the country in an attempt to quell the protests.
Around 700 people are believed to have died in clashes between police and protesters, according to the opposition party.
A figure that the incumbent government believes is “grossly exaggerated”, according to The Guardian.
Taken over after mysterious death
At the focus of the anger is Samia Suluhu Hassan, a 65-year-old woman from the island of Zanzibar, who has served as president since 2021.
Hassan, who was previously vice president, took over the presidency when her predecessor John Magufuli died, after a period of illness, in March 2021. Magufuli’s death was surrounded by speculation that he had actually died of Covid-19, but this has never been confirmed by the country’s government.
The 2020 presidential election, when Magufuli and Hassan were appointed president and vice-president, was also questioned by independent election observers, who said the election had been rigged.
In the months leading up to this year's election, dozens of government critics and activists in Tanzania have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Samia Suluhu Hassan is the first female president of Tanzania.
The Swedish embassy remains closed
On Friday, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs issued an advisory against non-essential travel to Tanzania, due to the violence.
But despite this, Sweden's embassy in the country remains closed, reports the newspaper Syre.
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) told Ekot on Friday that the embassy is “working to ensure that staff and Swedes in the country are safe”.
However, during the weekend the embassy can only be reached via email, despite the internet being down in Tanzania, the newspaper writes.
Around 1,000 Swedes are in Tanzania.
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