Police Fire on Protesters in Tanzania During Post-Election Rallies   

Clashes erupted in Tanzania on Thursday after demonstrations broke out following elections this week, with protesters disputing the results, Al Jazeera reported. 

Following a low-turnout election on Wednesday, in which the most prominent opposition candidates were disqualified, protesters took to the streets, burning a bus and a gas station, attacking police officers, and vandalizing polling facilities, the Associated Press wrote. 

In response to the unrest, the government shut down the Internet, deployed the military on the streets, and imposed a curfew on Wednesday evening in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, where most of the demonstrations took place. However, protests continued late into the night, with police firing tear gas and gunshots at crowds defying the curfew. 

A civilian and a police officer died during the rallies, according to Amnesty International. The organization called for an investigation into the police’s use of force against protesters. 

The government requested public servants to work from home on Thursday to limit the movement of non-essential staff. Roadblocks staffed by the Tanzanian army were set up across the country. 

Hundreds of demonstrators also breached security barriers to reach a road leading to the country’s main airport, but were stopped from entering it. 

The turmoil was set off by actions by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or CCM party, in power since Tanzania’s independence in 1961, which attempted to retain office in Wednesday’s election by banning candidates from the two main opposition parties from running. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan ran against 16 candidates from smaller parties who carried out limited election campaigns. 

With vote counting still ongoing, the electoral commission has put Hassan in the lead in many constituencies, prompting fears of further tensions in the country, the BBC noted. 

The European Union called the vote a “fraud” that had been “unfolding for months.”  

Tanzania’s election is the latest on the continent to trigger unrest among voters, angry over attempts by longtime leaders or parties using repression to stay in power. For example, protests are ongoing after Cameroon’s recent elections, where leader Paul Biya won his eighth term at age 92.