Four pressing realities Suluhu must confront as she starts her second term

This video grab made from a video from the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) shows Samia Suluhu Hassan signing official documents as she takes the oath of office during her inauguration ceremony in Dar es Salaam.[AFP]

Tanzania’s presidential election has brought an unceremonious end to its reputation for calm. The country now finds itself mired in unrest. Reports of rioting and the government’s forceful response have stripped away the veneer of exceptionalism that once set the country apart. The Rubicon, it seems, has been crossed.

Tanzania’s democratic credentials have been steadily eroding – first under the late President John Pombe Magufuli, and now, more subtly, under his successor, President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Behind the mask of democratic order lies a tightening grip on political life marked by curbs on opposition activity, suppression of dissent, increased state control over media and persistent electoral malpractices.