By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Tanzania’s President, Samia Suluhu Hassan says the East African country could face economic difficulties arising from the violence that broke out after the Oct. 29 presidential election in which she was declared winner.
She admitted that the image for stability of the country has been “stained” by the unrest, expressing concern that it could “set the country back”.
She cautioned that her next term could bring economic challenges, noting that securing financial support from international banks may not be easy.
“In the first term, we used to get loans from outside due to our stability and the progress we made. But the stain we brought upon ourselves could now hinder that,” she said at the swearing-in ceremony of her new cabinet on Tuesday.
“For this reason, we must focus on mobilising domestic resources and harnessing our God-given resources,” Hassan told her ministers.
“We mostly depend on loans from international creditors, but what happened eroded our global credibility,” the 65-year-old President said.
In the 27-member cabinet is President Hassan’s daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, who was named deputy education minister. Wanu’s husband, Mohamed Mchengerwa, remains in cabinet taking up the post of health minister. Seven members of the previous cabinet have lost their positions.
Hassan was declared the winner of the last month presidential poll with 98% of the vote which saw most of the opposition figures disqualified while others, including the leader of the CHADEMA party, Tundu Lissu still in jail where he is facing treason charges.
Malawi’s former President, Lazarus Chakwera and the Commonwealth envoy, is due to arrive in Tanzania to lead reconciliation efforts between the two sides.
Hundreds may have died as security forces crushed the protests under cover of a five-day internet blackout after the 29 October elections, according to the opposition. The authorities are yet to release an official death toll.
Gruesome images and videos of dead Tanzanians have circulated online following the disputed elections, in which key opposition leaders were jailed or disqualified.
The violence was shocking for a nation that had cultivated an image of calm and order for nearly six decades.
At least 240 people were charged with treason after the protests.
Last week, President Hassan announced an official investigation into the unrest and urged prosecutors to consider reducing or dropping charges for detained individuals who were not directly involved in the protests.
She came into office in 2021 following the death of President John Magufuli – and was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed.
