Controversial poll: Protests spread in Tanzania

Tanzania flag

Protests have escalated in major cities across Tanzania as opposition supporters denounce Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary elections as a sham, the BBC reported on Thursday.

Hundreds of demonstrators also crossed into Kenyan territory, barricading roads, lighting bonfires, and tearing down posters of President Samia Hassan along the way.

Kenyan police said two people died after fleeing running battles with Tanzanian police.

Protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia’s chances of winning.

According to the BBC, anger grew on Thursday after the electoral commission started announcing results, with Samia getting nearly 95% of the vote in south-western Mbea province.

She has also taken the lead in many other constituencies on the mainland and in Zanzibar.

European Union lawmakers call the election a “fraud” that had been “unfolding for months”. Punch