By 
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced that President Hakainde Hichilema has been invited to attend the inauguration of Tanzania’s President–elect, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Acting Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Collins Nzovu stated in a release on Sunday that the ceremony will be held today, November 3, 2025, at State House–Chamwino in Dodoma.
“The invitation signifies the excellent relationship and strong historical ties between Zambia and the United Republic of Tanzania,” Nzovu said.
He added that President Hichilema was expected to depart Dodoma immediately after the ceremony.
However, the invitation has drawn criticism from All Peoples Congress party leader, Nason Msoni, who described attending the event as inappropriate given the reported violence surrounding Tanzania’s elections.
“Unless, of course, someone lacks humanity for others. Surely, it is common sense for any person to know that the elections in Tanzania fell far short of the barest minimum acceptable standard,” Msoni said.
He wrote on his Facebook page on October 3, 2025: “And what exactly do you say upon your host being sworn in? Congratulations? For any God-fearing leader, this is an invitation you politely decline.
“In a nutshell, a sense of shame is not a bad moral compass for any self-respecting government.”
Tanzania’s Electoral Commission declared on Saturday that President Hassan won nearly 98 percent of the vote in an election that sparked violent protests across the country earlier this week.
Hassan, who first assumed power in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, will now serve a five-year term governing the East African nation of 68 million people.
According to Reuters, protests erupted during Wednesday’s presidential and parliamentary vote, with demonstrators tearing down banners of Hassan, setting fire to government buildings, and clashing with police, who responded with tear gas and gunfire.
The unrest follows the exclusion of Hassan’s two main challengers from the race and broader concerns about government repression.
Tanzania’s main opposition party claimed that hundreds of people were killed during the protests, while the U.N. human rights office reported credible accounts of at least 10 deaths across three cities.
The government dismissed the opposition’s death toll as “hugely exaggerated” and rejected criticism of its human rights record.
The Electoral Commission reported that Hassan received more than 31.9 million votes—97.66 percent of the total—with voter turnout at nearly 87 percent of the country’s 37.6 million registered voters.
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
Comments