Tanzania election results to be announced as protests intensify
By Mabonga Makhanu, November 1, 2025Tanzanian Foreign Affairs Minister Thabit Kombo has confirmed that the election results will be released on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
While speaking during an interview with the BBC on Friday, October 31, 2025, as protests in the country entered their third day, he stated that the electoral commission is ready to announce the results.
“Yes, the announcement of results will happen on Saturday; yes, it will happen,” Kombo stated.
He went on to say that the internet connection, which was switched off after the protests erupted in several parts of the country, will also be restored on the same day.
He defended the internet and media shutdown as a response to growing incidents of criminal activities tied to the protests, such as vandalism.
According to him, the ban was intended to curb the surge in protests.
The internet will be restored on Saturday; we closed it because when we tried to open it, it created havoc among small groups of vandalisers who are creating problems with the vandalism.
The minister also said that election observers sent in by several agencies, including the East African Community (EAC) and other organisations, were provided with alternative means of communication.
He added that these observers, while compiling their reports on the elections, will include details on how they managed to communicate amid the network and internet outage.
“We provided all observers with alternative means of communication, and they will also state in their report on how they managed to communicate in their final report,” Kombo said.
Situation in Dar es Salaam
Minister Kombo dismissed media reports that Dar es Salaam is under heavy protest, refuting the claims and stating that there is normalcy in the city. He noted that people are going about their activities while respecting curfew hours, which run from 6 pm to 6 am.
The protests erupted on election day, Wednesday, October 29, 2025, after key opposition leaders who posed a significant challenge to President Samia Suluhu Hassan were barred from the ballot.
CHADEMA party leader Tundu Lissu, who has been behind bars for months, was also not allowed to run. Tanzanians have brought parts of the country to a standstill as they wreak havoc, destroying properties, especially those owned by politicians allied to the president.