Tanzania's Election Fails to Meet Democratic Standards, African Union Says
The African Union has slammed Tanzania's recent election as failing to meet democratic standards, citing instances of ballot stuffing, internet blackout, and politically-motivated abductions that compromised the vote's integrity. The bloc's election monitoring arm, which sent a team of 72 observers to Tanzania and Zanzibar for the October 29 election, has criticized the administration's handling of the polls.
According to the AU mission's report, the elections did not comply with international principles and standards for democratic elections, creating an environment that was "not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes." The country's main opposition party, Chadema, claims hundreds of people were killed in the aftermath, a figure denied by the government.
Videos reviewed by Al Jazeera show dozens of bodies, including those shot in the head, protesters with bloodied faces, and security forces firing guns in the streets. The AU has urged Tanzanian authorities to exercise restraint and pursue thorough investigations into violence against protesters.
The report also highlights the government's alleged campaign of forced disappearances, torture, and assault of critics, as well as widespread media repression. In June, a panel of United Nations experts documented over 200 disappearances in the country since 2019.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has faced mounting international pressure over her administration's handling of the election, with some accusing her of undermining democracy and suppressing dissent. The African Union's rebuke adds to the growing list of criticism from regional and international bodies, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which also detailed violence, censorship, and intimidation of opposition figures.
The country's electoral process has been marred by controversy since Hassan took power in 2021, with local and international watchdogs repeatedly raising concerns over her administration's alleged human rights abuses. The situation has raised questions about the future of democracy in Tanzania and the government's ability to govern without suppressing dissent.
The African Union has slammed Tanzania's recent election as failing to meet democratic standards, citing instances of ballot stuffing, internet blackout, and politically-motivated abductions that compromised the vote's integrity. The bloc's election monitoring arm, which sent a team of 72 observers to Tanzania and Zanzibar for the October 29 election, has criticized the administration's handling of the polls.
According to the AU mission's report, the elections did not comply with international principles and standards for democratic elections, creating an environment that was "not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes." The country's main opposition party, Chadema, claims hundreds of people were killed in the aftermath, a figure denied by the government.
Videos reviewed by Al Jazeera show dozens of bodies, including those shot in the head, protesters with bloodied faces, and security forces firing guns in the streets. The AU has urged Tanzanian authorities to exercise restraint and pursue thorough investigations into violence against protesters.
The report also highlights the government's alleged campaign of forced disappearances, torture, and assault of critics, as well as widespread media repression. In June, a panel of United Nations experts documented over 200 disappearances in the country since 2019.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has faced mounting international pressure over her administration's handling of the election, with some accusing her of undermining democracy and suppressing dissent. The African Union's rebuke adds to the growing list of criticism from regional and international bodies, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which also detailed violence, censorship, and intimidation of opposition figures.
The country's electoral process has been marred by controversy since Hassan took power in 2021, with local and international watchdogs repeatedly raising concerns over her administration's alleged human rights abuses. The situation has raised questions about the future of democracy in Tanzania and the government's ability to govern without suppressing dissent.
I'm shocked the AU waited this long to speak out...like 30 days later? You'd think they'd at least try to make sure their words have some weight, you know? But seriously, it's pretty clear that Tanzania's election was a disaster and people lost a lot. The fact that hundreds of people were killed or "disappeared" is just insane. I've seen some crazy stuff in my time online, but this takes the cake. I hope the Tanzanian government does start to investigate these allegations properly...but I'm not holding my breath 
the african union is like "yooo what's good with you guys" over here trying to monitor elections but it looks like they got some serious issues on their hands. hundreds of people dead and stuff, can't even count how many people went missing...this is crazy 
and what's up with the opposition party getting persecuted? samia suluhu hassen needs to get her act together and figure out what's really going on in that country...not looking good for democracy over there 
this is what happens when you just kinda wing it and don't actually follow democratic principles... i mean, it's not like its an ideal situation or anything but the AU's report does highlight some serious red flags, especially with those disappearances & torture claims... 
cant say im surprised tho, it seems like the gov has been playing a pretty aggressive game since Samia took over in 2021. still hopeful that someone will take a closer look and maybe even intervene to make things right tho... 
still can't believe what's happening in Tanzania... AU's report is like, super detailed, it shows how corrupt this election was 
ballot stuffing, internet blackout, people getting abducted just to keep opposition quiet? that's just crazy 
it's like they're trying to silence anyone who speaks out against them. and now hundreds of people are dead? 
the numbers are so high, it's like the government just wants to keep control no matter what 
I'm all for democracy and human rights, it's like... how can we even trust this election result? 
maybe the AU is too slow or whatever but someone needs to take action ASAP 
. The fact that hundreds of people were killed in the aftermath is just heartbreaking 
. And the AU's report highlights all these serious human rights abuses... it's just not right 
.
the au is right on point though, like cant they see whats going on? its so fishy with those disappearances and torture allegations 
i mean samia suluhu hassan is supposed to be a leader but shes just ending up being some kinda dictatorial figure 
she needs to listen to her people not silence them 
and what about all the deaths? hundreds of people killed in protest? that's insane 
anyway, this news is super concerning for africa as a whole 
they just had an election n the african union is saying it didnt even meet democatic standards lol like wut kinda elections r dey running over here?? 72 observers went to watch but stil its clear somethin was off. Chadema is sayin hundreds of ppl were killed in the protests but the govnt denies it 
. Its gettin crazy in tanzania rn.
. The reports of ballot stuffing, internet blackout, and those brutal abductions are super concerning. I mean, what kind of environment are they trying to create where people can't even vote freely? 
And then there's the US-backed president who's got her admin on the back foot... it's like, hello, someone needs to step in here and sort this out 
. The African Union is right on point with this whole thing - ballot stuffing, internet blackout, politically-motivated abductions? It's all just so dodgy 
. I'm not surprised though, we've seen this kind of stuff happen before in countries where democracy isn't exactly thriving 
.
. The people of Tanzania deserve better than this kind of repression and violence 
.
. It's about time someone took a stand for democracy and human rights 
. and now the AU is calling them out on it? finally someone's being held accountable 
. but seriously, what's going on in Tanzania right now? it's like they're living in some kind of alternate reality 
where dissent is not allowed and protesters are just... gone 
. I'm all for holding leaders accountable, but this is just getting out of hand 
. I can only imagine how scared and intimidated those opposition figures must be feeling, with all these reports of disappearances, torture, and assault going on. It's like, you'd think that a country would want its citizens to feel safe and secure, but it seems like the opposite is happening here 
. We need to keep sending messages of support and solidarity to those in Tanzania who are fighting for justice and freedom 
[ image of a ballot box with a big X marked through it ]
[ Meme of a person holding a TV remote control, but the channels are all showing news about election protests ]
[ Giphy of people from different countries holding hands, with a " World in Chaos" background ]
[ Image of a detective looking at clues, with a magnifying glass and a "Find the Truth" caption ]
[ Meme of people from different groups having a loud discussion, but it's all just a bunch of random words like "HUMAN RIGHTS", "DEMOCRACY", and "JUSTICE" ]
. Can't Tanzania get its act together and respect human rights? 
but at the same time I wish they could've done more like, what if they had a bigger presence on the ground? 
️.