According to official data, the incumbent president Samia Suluhu Hassan was re-elected, receiving 97% of the votes. However, opposition parties claim there were falsifications and refuse to recognize these results.
The indictments state that the protesters attempted to disrupt the election process and damaged state property. Among those detained is a shop owner who was arrested for calling for the purchase of gas masks ahead of the protests.
Religious and community leaders have urged the authorities to ease measures against the detainees to avoid further escalation of the situation. Bishop Benson Bagonza of the Evangelical Lutheran Church noted that "the only way to maintain relative peace is through collective mourning, not arrests."
The main opposition party CHADEMA, whose leader Tundu Lissu has also been accused of treason and barred from the elections, claims that over 1,000 people died during the protests. Authorities have denied these figures without providing alternative numbers. The UN Human Rights Office confirmed information about the deaths of at least ten people.
Observers from the African Union reported instances of ballot stuffing at some polling stations and expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the voting results. Additionally, another major opposition party, ACT-Wazalendo, was barred from participating in the elections, leading to a predominance of candidates from smaller parties on the ballots.
