The opposition describes the election as a "parody of democracy" after a victory with 98% of the vote.

Outgoing President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election on Saturday with nearly 98% of the vote, after three days of election violence that left hundreds dead according to the opposition, which called the election a "parody of democracy".

The East African country descended into violence on Wednesday, the day of presidential and legislative elections which took place without opposition, as the two main opponents of the head of state were either imprisoned or disqualified.

Ms. Hassan won more than 97.66% of the votes, or 31.9 million votes out of 32.7 million counted, according to the electoral commission, with an estimated turnout of nearly 87%, contrasting with the low turnout at polling stations noted by AFP and other observers.

"It's impossible," John Kitoka, a spokesman for the main opposition party, Chadema, told AFP. "Nobody went to the polls to vote; it's simply ridiculous."

Chadema was barred from the elections and had called for a boycott of the vote. Its leader, Tundu Lissu, arrested in April, is on trial for treason, an accusation punishable by death.

Describing Ms. Hassan's landslide victory as a "parody of democracy," Mr. Kitoka indicated that party observers reported that "at least 800 people" had been killed by security forces during this week's anti-government protests.

"We are experiencing a totalitarian regime," Father Charles Kitima, secretary of the Catholic bishops' conference in Dar es Salaam, told AFP, also noting a "very low number of voters."

"For the first time in our country's history, we are witnessing mass killings of people who are protesting," continued the clergyman, who himself was attacked and seriously injured in April after speaking out publicly against the government.

The African Union, in a statement, congratulated the president on her success but said it "deeply regretted the lives lost".

In another statement, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo nevertheless emphasized the "integrity" of an election conducted with "extreme transparency and in adherence to democratic principles."

On election day, AFP heard heavy gunfire as hundreds of people protested, including setting fire to a police station. The protests spread and continued until Friday in this country of 68 million inhabitants.

Samia Suluhu Hassan was promoted to head of Tanzania following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli in 2021. Initially praised for easing restrictions imposed by her predecessor, she was later accused of leading a severe crackdown on her critics, particularly in the lead-up to the election.

While she had not previously commented on the violence, the outgoing president declared on Saturday that her government "strongly condemns" the protests. "These acts have nothing to do with patriotism," she added during a ceremony broadcast on state television.

"Hundreds dead"

On Friday, Mr. Kitoka told AFP that the election violence had caused "around 700 deaths", based on information gathered by members who are visiting hospitals across the country.

A diplomatic source described the death toll as "fairly credible," reporting "hundreds of dead." A security source interviewed by AFP received similar information, but verification remains difficult as an internet outage was still in effect on Saturday.

These figures have been denied by the authorities.

“There was no excessive use of force,” Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo told Al Jazeera on Friday, referring to “pockets of violence” in the country. “I did not see these 700 deaths.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Friday in a statement for a "thorough and impartial investigation into allegations of excessive use of force".

The violence is causing significant disruption. The port of Dar es Salaam, one of the most important on the continent, was closed on Friday, according to information from the Vessel Finder tracking website and the Dutch shipping company Steinweg.

Stores are running out of food, and gas stations have stopped operating. One resident reported that meat and fish prices have doubled or even tripled, and public transportation has ground to a halt.

"I've been sleeping at the mosque since Wednesday, when the violence broke out," Mohamed Rajab, 52, a resident of Dar es Salaam, told AFP. "There's no public transport. I don't know when I'll be able to go home."