Election season in Tanzania has followed a familiar pattern. Posters went up and ballots were mailed out. Then activists were abducted and opposition leaders were jailed.
When Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in four years ago after the death of her predecessor — making her the first Tanzanian woman to ascend to the presidency — there were brief hopes she would relax the country’s repressive political climate. But as she runs for reelection on Wednesday, her main opponents have been detained or disqualified, and those who have spoken out against her have been met with violence.
