SADC observers of the Tanzania General Elections have reported that voters in many areas of the country were unable to freely express their will during the recently concluded general election. 

The SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) pointed to challenges across the political, security, and electoral environments, concluding that the election fell short of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. 

The mission said there was a tense political climate with alleged abductions of activists, the detention of the main opposition party leader, and aggressive treatment of observers, including seizure of passports and deletion of mission-related photographs. 

Legal and institutional concerns included a constitutional provision preventing courts from entertaining presidential election challenges once results are announced, exclusion of non-party candidates from certain contests, and a lack of comprehensive electoral law reform since the last election. 

SEOM also said it noted very low voter turnout and restrictions on freedom of expression, including censorship of online platforms and limited social media access. 

State-owned media focused on the ruling party, while private media practiced self-censorship; according to the Observer Mission, this was due to fear that their licenses would be revoked.

Election-day observations showed multiple ballots stacked in boxes, heavy police presence in 90% of stations and on major roads, and 15% of stations did not show empty ballot boxes before sealing. 

An internet outage disrupted observation of the closing and counting processes, and threats of violence prevented many observers from witnessing the final stages. 

The SEOM urged citizens to channel concerns through legal procedures and avoid violence. 

Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner and was sworn in this morning in a ceremony closed to the public.