DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — The African Union’s (AU) observer mission delivered a sharp rebuke to Tanzania’s recent electoral process, stating on Wednesday that the disputed vote did not comply with established democratic standards, an election that has subsequently triggered deadly protests.
The conclusion comes after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the landslide winner of the October 29 election.
However, the victory was marred by accusations of widespread fraud from opponents and protests over the exclusion of her main challengers.
AU cites non-compliance with democratic norms
The AU mission was explicit in its preliminary findings regarding the integrity of the process:
“At this preliminary stage, the Mission concludes that the 2025 Tanzania General Elections did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections,” the mission said.
The observers noted several irregularities that compromised the integrity of the vote. They reported witnessing ballot stuffing at several polling stations, where people were issued multiple papers to vote.
Furthermore, the mission noted a notable absence of political party agents and reported that some of their observers were asked to leave stations during the counting process.
Disputed death toll amid crackdown
The government has maintained that the election was fair and transparent.
However, the main opposition party, CHADEMA, which was barred from participating in the election, stated that it has documented hundreds of deaths resulting from the post-election protests.
The President of the Tanganyika Law Society (representing lawyers in mainland Tanzania), Boniface Mwabukusi, offered an even higher estimate, suggesting the death toll was over 1,000 based on reports gathered from local contacts.
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Mwabukusi noted that compiling a precise count has been difficult due to government threats designed to prevent people from sharing information.
President Hassan, who was sworn back into office on Monday after being credited with 98% of the vote, acknowledged that people died, though her government has consistently maintained that the opposition’s death toll figures are hugely exaggerated.
The AU concluded its statement by offering a path forward for the East African nation:
“Tanzania should prioritise electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of its democratic and electoral challenges witnessed ahead of, during, and after last week’s elections,” the AU mission added in its statement.
