Tanzania’s President sworn in amid disputed election and lethal protests : NPR

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — There was loads of pomp and ceremony at President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s inauguration ceremony on Monday as she took the oath of workplace.

But in contrast to at earlier swearing in ceremonies there weren’t any members of the general public.

Hassan says that very same public supported her in overwhelming numbers on the polls on Oct. 29. The nation’s electoral fee declared her winner with 98% of the vote.

The nation’s largest opposition celebration Chadema was banned from contesting the elections and its chief Tundu Lissu is at present on trial on treason prices.

“You’ll never have free, fair, transparent elections in Tanzania under the current legal framework,” stated Deogratias Munishi, spokesman for the biggest opposition Chadema.

“These elections were completely illegitimate, they were a total sham,” he instructed NPR.

Speaking from neighboring Kenya, Munishi stated safety forces have launched a lethal crackdown on Tanzanians protesting the election outcomes.

Due to a nationwide web shutdown it has been tough to get info from the bottom, however movies circulated by rights teams present piles of corpses and younger protesters with bullet wounds.

Munishi says greater than 1,000 individuals have been killed. It’s been inconceivable for NPR to confirm casualty figures and the Tanzanian authorities have stated they don’t have any figures on the useless and have denied extreme use of pressure.

But Munishi stated the scenario is dire.

“Streets … are covered with dead bodies, hospitals in Tanzania are overwhelmed by dead bodies. Police are going around the country to collect those dead bodies and bury them in mass graves,” he stated.

Before his arrest in April, Lissu had been holding rallies across the nation earlier than his arrest underneath the slogan: “No reforms, no elections.” Rights teams reported quite a few cases of torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings within the run as much as the vote.

Lissu’s American lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, says the opposition chief — who survived being shot 16 occasions in a 2017 assassination try – faces the dying penalty if convicted of treason.

“My client Tundu Lissu continues to languish in solitary confinement in jail for absolutely no reason other than his popularity, his credibility and his integrity,” he stated.

“The situation in Tanzania is in a critical position…there is absolutely no legitimacy to the fraudulent activities of last week,” Amsterdam added.

Successor to “the Bulldozer”

In 2021 when President Hassan first succeeded authoritarian chief John Magufuli — who was nicknamed “the Bulldozer” — many Tanzanians have been hopeful the nation was on a extra democratic path.

She ushered in numerous reforms , together with ending bans on political rallies, repealing repressive legal guidelines across the media, and releasing Lissu’s Chadema predecessor from jail.

Now, many say the 65-year-old – who’s Tanzania’s first feminine chief – is worse than her predecessor. Her son Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir is believed by many to have overseen the crackdown.

There have been reviews of the military siding with protesters in some locations, however they’re unconfirmed and the military chief final week referred to as the protesters “criminals.”

On Sunday on the Vatican, Pope Leo referred to as for an finish to the publish election violence within the nation, saying: “I urge everyone to avoid all forms of violence and to pursue the path of dialogue.”

Amsterdam stated the worldwide neighborhood must be vocal in its condemnation. He additionally stated the very fact the African Union has not condemned the elections reveals it’s “just a clubhouse for dictators.”

In reality a press release by the African Union congratulated President Hassan and quite a few African heads of state attended her inauguration. At the ceremony Hassan nodded to the unrest, calling for “unity and solidarity.”

Meanwhile, colleges have been closed and public transport halted Monday as the complete web blackout continued.

Munishi stated the opposition was undeterred.

“As long as it takes Chadema will continue, whether Tundi Lissu remains in prison or is out,” he stated.

Tanzania is certainly one of a number of African nations to carry disputed elections this yr which have resulted in unrest. Last month Cameroonian elections noticed 92-year-old president Paul Biya reelected for an eighth time period, whereas Ivory Coast’s 83-year-year-old Alassane Ouattara received a fourth time period having barred opposition heavyweights from working.