Fierce clashes rocked Dar es Salaam on Wednesday as angry youth hurled stones at police and set a gas station ablaze, turning the nation’s election day into a powder keg of unrest.
With internet access severed nationwide, unverified clips of tear gas clouds and burning barricades spread rapidly online.
Hundreds marched toward the Selander Bridge, a key route to the city center, according to local observers. Violence flared in at least four districts, with BBC Swahili footage showing officers firing tear gas canisters into crowds.
Authorities remained silent, offering no official comment on the chaos.
A One-Sided Race: Opposition Silenced
President Samia Suluhu Hassan cast her vote in Dodoma, urging citizens to “choose your leaders.” But for many, choice was an illusion.
The main opposition, CHADEMA, sits out the race. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, faces treason charges which he denies while the party was banned in April for refusing an electoral conduct agreement. The second-largest opposition saw its candidate, Luhaga Mpina, disqualified after a government challenge.
Only minor party hopefuls challenge Hassan, who seeks her first full term with the ruling CCM dominant since 1977.
“This isn’t an election it’s a coronation,” said Deogratius Munishi, a CHADEMA official, speaking from Kenya.
Low Turnout, High Tension
Polling stations saw sparse crowds before closing at 4 p.m. Results are due within 72 hours.
Hassan has crisscrossed the 68-million-strong nation, touting new roads, power plants, and economic growth. She took power in 2021 after John Magufuli’s death, initially earning praise for easing media curbs and political arrests.
But the past two years tell a darker story. Rights groups accuse the government of abducting critics including a former ambassador snatched from home this month. Police say they’re investigating, but no findings have emerged.
Hassan insists her administration upholds human rights and ordered a probe into disappearances last year still unpublished.
A Nation Divided
As Hassan campaigns on infrastructure and stability, protesters chant for freedom and fairness. With Zanzibar also voting for its leaders and parliament, the election tests Tanzania’s democratic pulse.
Will results bring calm or more fire?
MORE NEWS: Tanzania Votes Amid Crackdowns and Calls for Fair Play
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