samia

Nov. 1 (UPI) — Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Saturday was declared the winner of the presidential election amid unrest in the African nation over her candidacy and exclusion of her rivals.

Samia, 65, received 31.9 million votes, which was 97.66% of the total in Wednesday’s election among 17 parties, the electoral commission said.

Almost 87% of the country’s 37.6 million registered voters turned out, in sharp contrast with the 50% who voted in 2020.

Tanzania, which has a population of 71 million, is in eastern Africa and is bordered by the Indian Ocean on the east and south of the Equator.

“We thank the security forces for ensuring that the violence did not stop voting,” Samia, who came into office in 2021 as Tanzania’s first female president, said in a victory celebration in Dodoma. “These incidents were not patriotic at all.”

Although the politician from Zanzibar said the election was “free and democratic,” election observers and European Parliament members say the election was rife with irregularities, according to The New York Times.

Samia’s two main opposition contenders were barred from running.

Tundu Lissu, of the Party for Democracy and Progress, is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the Alliance for Change and Transparency was excluded on legal technicalities.

During the unrest, Internet nationwide was been shut down and a curfew is in place.

On Friday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for “a thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations of excessive use of force” and Tanzanian authorities to uphold accountability and transparency in the post-election unrest.

There were no protests on Saturday, one day after demonstrators in several cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia’s posters and attacked police and polling stations.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit said the violence was a “few isolated pockets of incidents here and there.”

And electoral commission chief Jacobs Mwambegele said the election was run smoothly.

“I would like to thank all election stakeholders, especially political parties, candidates for various positions, your friends and members for conducting civilized campaigns and maintaining peace and tranquility throughout the campaign,” he said.

Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar elects its own government.

Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

Sania was vice president and became president when John Magufuli died on March 17, 2021, of a heart condition at 61.

Her ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, and its predecessor, Tanu, have dominated the country’s politics and have never lost an election since independence from Britain.

The mainland territory of Tanganyika gained independence in 1961 and the islands of Zanzibar became independent as a constitutional monarchy two years later.

In 1964, they merged to become the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election.

The electoral commission on Saturday said the incumbent had secured nearly 98 percent of the vote that saw key candidates jailed or barred and triggered days of violent protests.

More to follow…

SAMIA Longchambon is looking absolutely radiant in the snaps from her latest holiday.

The Coronation Street actress, 43, has been soaking up the sun in Corfu with her husband Sylvian.

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Samia took to Instagram to share some photos from the trip, showing her and her beau looking loved up with glowing skin from the sizzling summer temperatures.

“Had a Mamma Mia moment on a cute boat in Corfu,” Samia captioned the carousel of four photos.

The first of the series shows Samia posing alone on a white boat with blue detailing.

She’s slightly leaning back, supporting her weight with one arm and holding her beach hat nonchalantly over her leg with her free hand.

A pair of sunnies and her fluffy fringe cover most of her face, but Samia’s ear-to-ear grin is clearly visible.

She’s wearing a simple blue bikini top and brown shorts in the snap: an effortless outfit that is as comfortable as it is stunning.

The other photos feature another shot of Samia alone standing in front of a gorgeous sea and landscape view, a lovely couple’s “plan-did” of her and Sylvian with their arms around each other on the same boat, and a beautiful sunset.

Fans of the former Dancing On Ice contestant took to the comments section of Samia’s photos to praise her outfit and wish her a wonderful holiday.

“You look stunning,” said one user, following it up with emojis of a flame and a heart.

“Oh my gosh such fabulous pics and you look amazing wow x have the best time,” and “Stunning as always, the picture of the sunset is beautiful,” shared others.

Samia has been a core member of the Corrie cast since the year 2000.

Debuting as Maria Connor, she’s been a beloved member of the show ever since.

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Soap star marks major milestone as Maria Connor and shares what has kept her on the show so long

Samia Longchambon says she’s proud to have played Coronation Street “strong woman” Maria for 25 years – and even answers to her character name now. She’s been a Weatherfield staple playing the unlucky-in-love hairdresser since she was 17.

Only coming in on a three-month contract, Samia, 42, looks back at her “wild times” as Maria and what’s kept her on the ITV soap so long. “If someone had said at the start that I’d be around this long, I would have laughed,” she said. “I thought maybe I’ll be a jobbing actress, or go to university, or become a director when I’m older.

READ MORE: Coronation Street character to make dramatic return – and it’s bad news for one teen

“Playing Maria for 25 years is a surprise, but I think Corrie can be quite addictive once you get here. The people make it such a nice atmosphere to be a part of.”

Samia says she’s played Maria for so long she’s taken on the moniker too. “Maria’s my second name now,” she laughed. “I literally answer to ‘Maria’ as easily as I do to my own name. I get it – we look alike, after all! And she’s trying to be a good mum, as am I.”

But she says that’s where she hopes their similarities end. “She’s had quite a colourful past!” explains Samia. “Maria has had some wild times over the years. Now she seems to have settled down a bit with Gary. I don’t know if that’s going to be forever, because you just never know in Corrie.

“I feel like I’m quite proud of her, how she’s overcome some massive obstacles in her life, and she still seems to have kept her sanity throughout it all. I’m not sure I would have been able to do that. I think she’s one of Corrie’s ‘strong women’ now.”

Away from Corrie, Samia is married to Dancing On Ice skater Sylvain, 44, and mum of two to Freya, 15, and Yves, nine. Meeting her future husband on the ITV skating show in 2012, she insists it wasn’t an instant connection.

“It wasn’t love at first skate for me and Sylvain,” she said. “I was too busy learning to move around on the ice to be thinking about anything like that! Things between us didn’t start until months after we first met.”

Losing her dad in 2009, who had French as his second language, Samia feels he had a hand in her finding love.

“I think my dad sent Sylvain to me,” she explained to Prima magazine. “He loved France, and his sister Samia, who I’m named after, lives about an hour away from where Sylvain grew up in Lyon. Once we got to know each other, I was like, ‘Oh, this is weird.’ There were so many common threads with him that I was like, ‘I feel like my dad just sent you.’”

Continuing her skating now, Samia says she’s much better at it now the pressure is off. And would be up for another reality show to push her out of her comfort zone.

“When it comes to other TV shows, I say ‘never say never’ to anything,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of my life being scared because of anxiety. A challenge is always good.”

Samia has been open about her struggles with anxiety – sharing her story with her followers. But says yoga and meditation have helped her cope better. She explained: “I can ruminate over things for a long time, and have it ruin weeks of my life, to the point where I can’t eat because of anxiety – so when it’s bad, I do what I can to stay busy. I did a CBT [cognitive behavioural therapy] course, which also helped. Sometimes, it does get the better of you, but you just have to accept it and think, ‘This too shall pass.’”

Being in the public eye has opened Samia up to some negative comments, and says they sometimes get the better of her. “I’ve had to deal with loads of trolling over the years, it’s usually when Maria’s caught up in something that’s not great and people forget that I’m not this character! It’s not nice – this industry can be hard if you’re not thick-skinned, and I’m not,” said the actress.

“So I have to discipline myself with social media – reading mean comments can feel like picking a scab; you don’t want to read it, but then you do end up reading it, and it ruins your day. Historically, there’s been a couple of times I have responded to trolls. Weirdly, though, I find that most people back down and apologise when you call them out. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,’ they might say. And I’ll think, ‘Well, I’m a human with feelings, and it hurts – but it’s fine, let’s move on.’”

The July 2025 issue of Prima is now on sale or read here.

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