JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — There was plenty of pomp and ceremony at President Samia Suluhu Hassan's inauguration ceremony on Monday as she took the oath of office.
But unlike at previous swearing in ceremonies there weren't any members of the public.
Hassan says that same public supported her in overwhelming numbers at the polls on Oct. 29. The country's electoral commission declared her winner with 98% of the vote.
The country's largest opposition party Chadema was banned from contesting the elections and its leader Tundu Lissu is currently on trial on treason charges.
"You'll never have free, fair, transparent elections in Tanzania under the current legal framework," said Deogratias Munishi, spokesman for the largest opposition Chadema.
"These elections were completely illegitimate, they were a total sham," he told NPR.
Speaking from neighboring Kenya, Munishi said security forces have launched a deadly crackdown on Tanzanians protesting the election results.
Due to a nationwide internet shutdown it's been difficult to get information from the ground, but videos circulated by rights groups show piles of corpses and young protesters with bullet wounds.
Munishi says more than 1,000 people have been killed. It's been impossible for NPR to verify casualty figures and the Tanzanian authorities have said they have no figures on the dead and have denied excessive use of force.
But Munishi said the situation is dire.
"Streets … are covered with dead bodies, hospitals in Tanzania are overwhelmed by dead bodies. Police are going around the country to collect those dead bodies and bury them in mass graves," he said.
Before his arrest in April, Lissu had been holding rallies around the country before his arrest under the slogan: "No reforms, no elections." Rights groups reported numerous instances of torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the run up to the vote.
Lissu's American lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, says the opposition leader — who survived being shot 16 times in a 2017 assassination attempt – faces the death penalty if convicted of treason.
"My client Tundu Lissu continues to languish in solitary confinement in jail for absolutely no reason other than his popularity, his credibility and his integrity," he said.
"The situation in Tanzania is in a critical position…there is absolutely no legitimacy to the fraudulent activities of last week," Amsterdam added.
Successor to "the Bulldozer"
In 2021 when President Hassan first succeeded authoritarian leader John Magufuli — who was nicknamed "the Bulldozer" — many Tanzanians were hopeful the country was on a more democratic path.
She ushered in a number of reforms , including ending bans on political rallies, repealing repressive laws around the media, and releasing Lissu's Chadema predecessor from prison.
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Now, many say the 65-year-old – who is Tanzania's first female leader – is worse than her predecessor. Her son Abdul Halim Hafidh Ameir is believed by many to have overseen the crackdown.
There have been reports of the army siding with protesters in some places, but they are unconfirmed and the army chief last week called the protesters "criminals."
On Sunday at the Vatican, Pope Leo called for an end to the post election violence in the country, saying: "I urge everyone to avoid all forms of violence and to pursue the path of dialogue."
Amsterdam said the international community needs to be vocal in its condemnation. He also said the fact the African Union has not condemned the elections shows it is "just a clubhouse for dictators."
In fact a statement by the African Union congratulated President Hassan and numerous African heads of state attended her inauguration. At the ceremony Hassan nodded to the unrest, calling for "unity and solidarity."
Meanwhile, schools were closed and public transport halted Monday as the full internet blackout continued.
Munishi said the opposition was undeterred.
"As long as it takes Chadema will continue, whether Tundi Lissu remains in prison or is out," he said.
Tanzania is one of several African countries to hold disputed elections this year that have resulted in unrest. Last month Cameroonian elections saw 92-year-old president Paul Biya reelected for an eighth term, while Ivory Coast's 83-year-year-old Alassane Ouattara won a fourth term having barred opposition heavyweights from running.
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