Tanzania descended into unrest Friday as protests over disputed election results spread across the country, prompting the deployment of the military, an internet blackout, and the closure of schools and universities.
Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police in Dar es Salaam, the nation’s commercial capital, demanding that the electoral commission halt the release of results from Wednesday’s vote – a contest widely criticized as unfair after opposition leaders were barred or detained.
State television continued broadcasting early results showing the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), in power since independence in 1961, extending its dominance.
Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan faced little competition after candidates from the two main opposition parties were blocked from running, leaving her to compete against 16 minor figures who barely campaigned.
In the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, calm returned under a heavy military presence as the electoral commission announced that incumbent President Hussein Mwinyi had secured 78.8% of the vote.
