TANZANIA OPPOSITION REJECTS SAMIA SULUHU'S VICTORY

Tanzania's opposition rejected a landslide election victory by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in polls that sparked deadly protests across the East African nation over the exclusion of her main challengers.
The main opposition party, CHADEMA, which was banned from the election for refusing to sign a code of conduct and whose leader Tundu Lissu was arrested for treason in April, said late on Saturday the results were "completely fabricated".

It added, "CHADEMA strongly rejects the so-called election results announced by the National Electoral Commission. These results have no basis in reality, since the truth is that no genuine election took place in Tanzania," it said on X.

"The countrywide demonstrations are clear proof that citizens did not take part in what is being called an election, and that they reject anyone emerging from this flawed electoral process," the party added in the statement on its account. There was no immediate reaction from the government to CHADEMA's statement.

Some protesters pulled down banners of Hassan, while others torched government buildings, as police responded with tear gas and gunfire, according to witnesses of the unrest that unfolded during Wednesday's voting for president and parliament. CHADEMA said on Friday hundreds were killed in the protests, while the U.N. human rights office said credible reports indicated at least 10 deaths in three cities.

Demonstrators are angry about the exclusion of Hassan's two biggest challengers by the electoral commission and what human rights groups have said are widespread arrests and abductions of opponents.

The government branded the opposition's death toll as "hugely exaggerated" and has rejected criticism of its human rights record. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures.

In a speech from the administrative capital Dodoma after being certified as the winner, Hassan said the actions of the protesters were "neither responsible nor patriotic". "When it comes to the security of Tanzania, there is no debate - we must use all available security avenues to ensure the country remains safe," she said.The authorities have imposed a nationwide curfew since Wednesday and curbed internet access. Many international flights have been cancelled and operations disrupted at its port in Dar es Salaam, a hub for fuel imports and exports of metals mined across the region.