The bloc says ballot stuffing, internet blackout and politically-motivated abductions compromised the vote’s ‘integrity’.Last week’s Tanzania elections failed to comply with democratic standards, says the African Union (AU), adding to mounting international pressure on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration over the deadly vote.The AU’s election monitoring arm – which sent a team of 72 observers to Tanzania and Zanzibar for the October 29 election – on Wednesday pointed to ballot stuffing, the government-imposed internet blackout, allegations of excessive military force, and politically-motivated abductions as “compromising election integrity”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe election “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections”, the mission’s report concluded, adding that the environment was “not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes”.Protesters poured into the streets of Dar es Salaam and other cities following the election, where they faced police violence, clouds of tear gas and limited internet access.The country’s main opposition party, Chadema, has since claimed hundreds of people were killed, a figure the government has denied.Videos reviewed by Al Jazeera show dozens of bodies, including of people shot in the head, protesters with bloodied faces, and security forces firing guns in the streets.The AU’s mission urged Tanzanian authorities to exercise restraint and pursue “thorough investigations” into violence against protesters.“Tanzania should prioritise electoral and political reforms to address the root causes of its democratic and electoral challenges witnessed ahead of, during, and after the 2025 General Elections,” the report said. Advertisement The AU report came amid another rare rebuke from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) earlier this week, which detailed violence, censorship and “general intimidation” of the public and opposition figures.Overall, “voters could not express their democratic will”, SADC said in a preliminary report on Monday, adding that the elections “ …
