Police in Tanzania’s main city Dar es Salaam fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters on Wednesday as the East African country went to the polls.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, 65, has a clear advantage in the election as her main challenger, Tundu Lissu, is on trial for treason. His party, Chadema, is barred from running.
Internet watchdog NetBlocks reported a “nationwide disruption to internet connectivity” in a statement on X.
Young people took to the streets in Dar es Salaam and burnt a police station despite a heavy deployment of police across the city, with tanks stationed around key junctions, the AFP news agency reports.
A military vehicle passed through the crowd but appeared to take no action against the demonstrators, it added.
Protests are rare in Tanzania, in part thanks to a relatively healthy economy, which grew by 5.5 percent last year according to the World Bank, on the back of strong agriculture, tourism and mining sectors.
Reports said that voter turnout was low in the city, with polling stations virtually empty in the morning, according to AFP journalists.
President Hassan was elevated from vice-president in 2021 on the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
