TANZANIANS PROTEST AS GENERAL ELECTIONS GET UNDERWAY
The youth, chanting and waving, took over a major highway to express their frustration.
Tension is building in Tanzania as protesters take to the streets amid the ongoing General Elections.
In video clips seen by The Star, groups of young people were captured blocking roads, interrupting traffic, and confronting police officers.
The youth, chanting and waving, took over a major highway to express their frustration.
The situation quickly escalated when some protesters began throwing stones at police officers, prompting the officers to fire teargas to disperse the crowds.
Earlier on, the government had cautioned against protests, warning that such would not be tolerated.
Police had stationed tanks around the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, to prevent unrest.
The elections began early morning, with a reported low turnout. The main challengers to President Samia Suluhu were either jailed or barred from contesting.
Suluhu is a former vice-president who took office after the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, in 2021.
When Suluhu took office, she initially reversed several of Magufuli’s hardline policies.
She lifted the ban on political rallies and extended an olive branch to opposition leaders — steps that earned her praise both at home and abroad.
However, optimism soon faded as her government was later accused of reverting to restrictive practices reminiscent of the previous administration, dampening expectations of real political reform.
In April, Tundu Lissu, the vice-chair of the leading opposition party, Chadema, was arrested and charged with treason and cybercrime offences.
Samia’s CCM has won every election since the reintroduction of multi-party democracy in 1992, but the campaigns are usually vibrant with robust debate between the rival parties.
As reported by BBC, young people make up the majority of Tanzania’s 37.7 million people registered voters – and there is anger from some over the president’s silence on issues like the shocking abductions.
The election commission says it will announce the results within three days of election day.
THE STAR
Same WhatsApp group as Kwenyu Waboza.
These African leaders have no shame. They will even try to change constitutions to cling on to power. This is the reason some are being removed by force.
REJECT TRIBALISM, CORRUPTION AND OPPRESSION.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN 2026.
Indeed the current crop of African Leaders are a total disgrace.
Stubborn to cling to power at the exclusion of others.
They are taking Africa back to the Dark Ages , when such used to end up with B*llets in their heads.
This woman should be declared persona non grata in democracies. South Africa please take a lead to bring sanity in SADC and Africa as whole. Dictators are cropping up with impunity.