The European Union has expressed concerns over violence, internet shutdown, and a large number of killings and injuries during and after Tanzania’s election.
In a statement on Sunday, the High Representative of the European Union, on behalf of the bloc, also expressed displeasure over irregularities in Tanzania’s electoral process.
“The EU is very concerned with the events that occurred throughout the election day and that are still ongoing, including violence and the internet shutdown, as well as reports of irregularities in the election process in some places. Reliable reports of a large number of fatalities and significant injuries are of extreme concern,” the statement said.
The EU urged Tanzanian authorities to exercise maximum restraint to preserve human lives, stating, “Lack of a level playing field in the run-up to the elections was marked by reports of abductions and disappearances and violence limiting the civic and democratic space.”
It added, “The EU calls for the release of all detained politicians and for a transparent and fair trial of those arrested on a sound legal basis and for swift and thorough investigations into all reported incidents of abductions, disappearances, and violence.”
The EU’s statement echoes a joint statement by the UK, Canadian, and Norwegian missions in Tanzania, expressing similar concern over “a large number” of killings recorded during the country’s election on Wednesday as security operatives brutally cracked down on protesters.
“We are concerned by the situation in Tanzania following the national elections of 28 and 29 October,” the joint statement said. “There are credible reports of a large number of fatalities and significant injuries as a result of the security response to protests, which began on 29 October.”
Respective statements by the EU, UK, Canadian, and Norwegian missions confirmed Amnesty International’s report that “an unopposed, unchecked, unjust wave of terror” sweeps through the country ahead of the elections, lamenting “a deepening human rights crisis ahead of its October 2025 general elections.”
The human rights organisation said Tanzania’s “authorities have intensified the use of repressive laws to silence dissent, targeting journalists, civil society, human rights defenders, and opposition voices.”
However, Tanzania’s Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner of the controversial election.
Tanzania’s electoral commission declared on Saturday that Mrs Hassan won the election with nearly 98 per cent of the votes.
Tanzanians have been hitting the streets in protests since Wednesday over the general election. Over 700 people have been killed as police clash with protesters across the country, according to the Chadema opposition party.
Some Tanzanians on social media have reschristened Mrs Hassan “Idi Amin Mama” after former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada, as election violence claims hundreds of lives.
