Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim has described the process and outcome of the recent Tanzania elections as “inappropriate and unacceptable”, insisting that violence and conflict should have no place in Africa.
Speaking exclusively to CNN’s Larry Madowo in an interview, the 79-year-old revealed that elections need to be free and fair, and that the recent elections in Tanzania did not reflect that in many different ways.
“I think it is really inappropriate and unacceptable to ban opposition parties in elections. How can you have an election without the main parties? I think imprisonment of the opposition leaders as well was not necessary. If she is so popular and won over 90 percent of the votes, why smear the process with blood instead of a fair election?”, the Sudanese billionaire said.
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READ ALSO: Tanzanian president sworn in for 2nd term without the masses
On Monday, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in for a second term with tight security, after violent protests that led to the death of hundreds due to the recent election results.
Opposition and multiple citizens rejected the results favoring Hassan and called it all a sham.
According to reports, the inauguration ceremony was held at a military parade grounds in the capital, Dodoma, rather than a stadium as in years past. The ceremony was closed to the public, yet it was shown on state TV.
Mo Ibrahim believes that the recent occurrences in Tanzania send the wrong message about the continent to investors and collaborators around the world, calling for an end to wars and conflicts for the holistic growth of the people.
“We don’t want violence and all this conflict in Africa. Who will invest in our economies if we have violence and loss of security. It doesn’t help us going forward”, he said in concluding the interview.
On Saturday, Samia was declared the winner with about 98% of the vote and faced little opposition with key rival candidates either imprisoned or prohibited from running.
On the international front, observers have raised concerns about the transparency of the election and its violent aftermath.
Authorities in Tanzania have sought to downplay the scale of the violence, and it remains difficult to obtain information from the country or verify the death toll, amid a nationwide internet shutdown in place since election day.
Samia took her oath of office at a ceremony attended by regional leaders and dignitaries, including the presidents of Somalia, Zambia, Mozambique, and Burundi wearing a red headscarf and dark glasses.
