President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in for a second term Monday in a heavily secured, closed-door ceremony at a military parade ground, a stark contrast to previous public inaugurations and a clear response to the violent unrest that has shaken the country since last week’s disputed election.
The ceremony, broadcast on state television but barred to the public, came after an election where Samia secured 98% of the vote against virtually no opposition. Her main rivals were either imprisoned or disqualified from the ballot, and international observers have widely questioned the poll’s transparency.
In her inauguration speech, Samia expressed sadness over the post-election violence that caused “loss of lives,” but praised the electoral commission for its “unquestionable efficiency.” She also suggested without providing evidence that “some of those arrested were not Tanzanians,” claiming security agencies were investigating.
The human cost of the crackdown remains difficult to verify due to a nationwide internet blackout that has persisted since election day. The opposition claims at least 800 people have been killed, while a diplomatic source told the BBC there was credible evidence of at least 500 fatalities. The UN has cited credible reports of at least 10 deaths.
The information vacuum has left families in anguish. “I don’t know where he is, I don’t know whether he has been arrested, I don’t know if he is injured… I don’t know if he is dead,” said one woman, identified only as Mama Kassim, who has not seen her 21-year-old son since the protests began.
Why It Matters
A swearing-in ceremony held behind military barricades, away from the public, is the perfect metaphor for Samia’s second term: a leader ruling from a fortress, not a public square. Her praise for the electoral commission’s “unquestionable efficiency” in delivering a 98% victory is an Orwellian touch that ignores the imprisonment of opponents and the bodies in the streets.
The suggestion that foreigners are behind the protests is a tired, cynical tactic to externalize legitimate domestic anger. This inauguration doesn’t mark a new beginning; it rather formalizes a breakdown. The real story is in the homes of the thousands of Tanzanians who don’t know if their loved ones are alive or dead, silenced by a government that fears its own people more than anything else.
