Authors: James Atem Kuir | The BBC | Published: 2 hours ago
President Samia Suluhu Hassan inspects a military parade after being sworn in on Friday, March 19, 2021 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Credit|CNN
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been sworn in at a tightly secured ceremony in the capital, Dodoma, following post-election protests that turned violent last week.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at a military parade ground, with the state-run TBC broadcasting the event live.
President Samia won the election on Saturday with 98 percent of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission.
The results sparked anger among opposition supporters, who took to the streets in major cities, leading to deaths and injuries.
Samia, who is Tanzania’s first female president, faced little competition as her main rivals were either disqualified or jailed before the vote.
In her victory speech last week, Samia criticized protestors as “unpatriotic,” saying the elections were “free and democratic.”
However, international election observers have questioned the transparency of the polls and the violence that followed.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, there were credible reports of at least 10 deaths in three cities.
