Tanzania’s election feels like a coronation not a contest for President Samia Suluhu Hassan

President Samia Suluhu Hassan faces no real competition at the polls amid a climate of self-censorship and fear.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveA coronation not a contest - Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition1 day agoShareSaveAlfred LasteckBBC Africa, Dar es SalaamShareSaveEPA/ShutterstockWith no heavyweight opposition candidates cleared to compete in Wednesday's election, many Tanzanians feel the vote is less like a contest and more like a coronation for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, as she faces her first presidential election.

The 65-year-old became the East African nation's first female head of state after the death in 2021 of sitting President John Magufuli. He was admired on the one hand for his no-nonsense drive to stamp out corruption but criticised on the other for his authoritarian clampdown on dissent and controversial attitude towards the Covid pandemic.

President Samia, who had been vice-president, seemed like a breath of fresh air - and with her warmer and friendlier style, she initiated reforms that seemed to represent a radical departure from her predecessor's policies.

Her four Rs policy - "reconciliation, resilience, reform and rebuilding" - reopened Tanzania to foreign investors, restored donor relations and mollified the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

"She made a difference, the lost relationship between Tanzania and international organisations such as World Bank was restored," political analyst Mohammed Issa told the BBC.