Last week’s Tanzania elections failed to comply with democratic standards, says the African Union (AU), adding to mounting international pressure on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration over the deadly vote .

The AU’s election monitoring arm – which sent a team of 72 observers to Tanzania and Zanzibar for the October 29 election – on Wednesday pointed to ballot stuffing, the government-imposed internet blackout, allegations of excessive military force, and politically-motivated abductions as “compromising election integrity”.

The election “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections”, the mission’s report concluded, adding that the environment was “not conducive to peaceful conduct and a

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