Tanzanians voted Wednesday in elections expected to return President Samia Suluhu Hassan to power after authorities barred two main opposition candidates and disrupted internet connectivity nationwide during polling.
More than 37 million registered voters cast ballots for president, parliament members and local councillors. The election commission said results would be announced within three days.
Hassan faces 16 minor party candidates after authorities excluded opposition leaders Tundu Lissu of Chadema and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo from the race.
"Live network data show a nationwide disruption to internet connectivity in Tanzania on election day," internet monitoring group Netblocks said in a statement Wednesday morning.
Polling stations in Dar es Salaam recorded unusually low turnout in the first hours of voting. Several stations in busy commercial areas remained nearly empty an hour after opening.
"We are going to mobilize people from the streets and their homes to come and vote," said a ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party official in Temeke district.
Hassan's governing CCM party has dominated Tanzanian politics since independence in 1961. The 65-year-old president automatically assumed office in 2021 following predecessor John Magufuli's death.
Opposition leader Lissu faces treason charges that carry potential death penalty after calling for electoral reforms at an April rally. His Chadema party was disqualified for refusing to sign an election code of conduct.
"The election is already irredeemably compromised," Robert Amsterdam, Lissu's lawyer.
UN human rights experts said more than 200 cases of enforced disappearance have been recorded in Tanzania since 2019. They called on Hassan's government to stop using disappearances "as a tool of repression in the electoral context."
The Tanganyika Law Society confirmed 83 abductions since Hassan took power, with 20 more reported in recent weeks.
Former CCM spokesman Humphrey Polepole disappeared from his home this month after criticizing Hassan. His family found blood stains in his residence.
Police arrested 17 people in northwestern Kagera region who were allegedly planning election day unrest.
"We are well-prepared for security," Hassan said at a recent rally. "Those who have failed to participate in the competition should not seek to disrupt our election."
Tanzania's economy grew 5.5 percent last year according to World Bank data, driven by agriculture, tourism and mining sectors.
Hassan has promised infrastructure projects and universal health insurance to win voter support.
Voter turnout dropped to 50.7 percent in 2020 elections from 67.3 percent in 2015. Analysts predict even lower participation Wednesday due to opposition exclusions.
"Voter apathy could be high due to the impact of the disqualification of the two main opposition parties," said Nicodemus Minde of the Institute for Security Studies.
International observer missions from Southern African Development Community and East African Community deployed limited teams after initially being denied full accreditation.
Amnesty International warned the elections "risk becoming a procedural affair devoid of legitimacy" citing politically-motivated charges against opponents and increased repression.
The government dismissed allegations as "unsubstantiated and misleading," reaffirming commitment to human rights and constitutional guarantees.
Hassan is one of only two female heads of state in Africa alongside Namibia's Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.