- Diamond Platnumz deleted all his posts endorsing President Suluhu following protests over Tanzania’s election results
- The deletion comes after unrest, as opposition leaders were barred from running, leading to accusations of an unfair election
- Tanzanian celebrities had publicly supported Suluhu’s re-election bid, but backlash followed amid accusations of election rigging
- Diamond’s last Instagram post praising Suluhu for her work in various sectors has been removed following the political tensions
Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platnumz has deleted all the posts he had made campaigning for President Suluhu Hassan.
Source: Instagram
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tanzanians held general elections on Wednesday, October 29.
Which Tanzanian artistes endorsed Samia Suluhu?
President Suluhu was the flagbearer for the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), and her re-election bid had been endorsed by Bongo stars, including Diamond, Ali Kiba, Rayvanny and Zuchu.
After the voting process, protests broke out.
Why are Tanzanians protesting?
The protesters were disappointed in the general election, which saw the top two opposition presidential candidates barred from running.
In response to the unrest, the government imposed curfews, shut down internet access, and deployed the military.
It should be noted that the main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu of the Chadema party, was in jail on disputed treason charges, and his party boycotted the election.
The candidate for the second-largest opposition party, Luhaga Mpina, was also disqualified on legal technicalities.
After all these injustices, it became clear that Suluhu had a high chance of winning in the presidential election, and critics argued that the ruling (CCM) had staged a coronation rather than a legitimate election.
Did Diamond change after endorsing Samia Suluhu?
Following the unrest seen in Tanzania, many celebrities who endorsed Mama Suluhu have been warned, and some have reportedly had their business premises attacked.
Diamond used his social media to campaign for Mama Suluhu.
He had hailed her and wished the best in the election.
But the artiste has deleted all the posts he had made for the president, seemingly due to the rage that many protesters have shown to Mama Suluhu.
This was Diamond’s last campaign post for Suluhu on Instagram:
“You are a very gentle president, hardworking and very wise, but just know that human beings, most of the time, we don’t like praising someone until the day they leave… You have done it and you continue to do a great job, starting from Education, Health, Agriculture, Fishing, Infrastructure and various other things… Know that many love you and appreciate the good that you are doing in our country… We will also show you our love by voting for you,” Diamond wrote.
The post is no longer on Diamond’s page.
Did Tanzania experience an internet outage?
In another related article, Tanzania’s election day resulted in a nationwide internet blackout, which restricted access to social media and messaging services.
Source: Getty Images
The outage coincided with the voting process, raising suspicions that the authorities aimed to limit monitoring and control the flow of information.
Critics have also faulted Tanzanian media outlets for going quiet on the protests.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
