{"id":124444,"date":"2025-11-10T09:03:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T09:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/11\/10\/ruto-casts-doubt-on-suluhus-unthinkable-98pc-win-museveni-didnt-get-it\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T09:03:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T09:03:01","slug":"ruto-casts-doubt-on-suluhus-unthinkable-98pc-win-museveni-didnt-get-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-casts-doubt-on-suluhus-unthinkable-98pc-win-museveni-didnt-get-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto casts doubt on Suluhu\u2019s \u2018unthinkable\u2019 98pc win: \u2018Museveni didn\u2019t get it\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 \u2014 President William Ruto has cast doubt on President Samia Suluhu\u2019s re-election, saying such overwhelming victories would be \u201cunthinkable\u201d in Kenya \u2014 even as he steered clear of directly questioning the credibility of Tanzania\u2019s October 29 General Election.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an interview aired on Al Jazeera on Sunday, Ruto was asked about the credibility of elections in the region, particularly Tanzania\u2019s poll in which President Suluhu was declared the winner with more than 98 per cent of the vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, in a democracy \u2014 for example, in Kenya \u2014 you can never get 96 per cent,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

Ruto however said countries in the region have achieved varying levels of democratic progress, defending President Yoweri Museveni\u2019s 2021 victory in Uganda, which the US had described as flawed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI attended President Museveni\u2019s swearing-in in the last election, and I think he got 57 per cent. He did not get 90 per cent,\u201d Ruto told Al Jazeera\u2019s James Bays.<\/p>\n

While avoiding direct criticism of his Tanzanian counterpart, Ruto hinted that such lopsided outcomes raise legitimate questions about electoral competitiveness across the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not for me to judge Tanzania,\u201d he added. \u201cEvery country has its own way of doing their stuff, but democracy is a work in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The President emphasized that, despite its imperfections, democracy in East Africa remains essential to political stability and good governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not always easy, you know, because there are all manner of moving parts. But I think we must work together to ensure that we protect democracy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must always give ourselves the opportunity to listen to alternative views, to look at the alternative without injecting violence into the equation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenya way ahead <\/h2>\n

Ruto defended Kenya\u2019s democratic record, dismissing fears that his administration could erode hard-won political freedoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are countries like Kenya that are way ahead [and] others that are catching up. There are others that are still not yet started,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The President also framed the debate within a global context, saying even established democracies face new pressures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see, for example, in the West, people moving more right, others moving to the left, and everything in between,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho expected, for example, that we would have the kind of situation we had in the US in the previous election? Nobody expected that Congress \u2014 that Capitol Hill \u2014 would [be] attacked. That looked far-fetched, yet that is the world we live in,\u201d he said referring to the January 6 riot. <\/p>\n

Ruto\u2019s remarks come amid growing scrutiny of electoral integrity and civic freedoms in East Africa, following disputed elections in Tanzania and Uganda and increasing concerns over shrinking democratic space in several countries.<\/p>\n

AU declares election flawed <\/h2>\n

His comments coincided with an African Union (AU) Election Observation Mission report that faulted Tanzania\u2019s poll for failing to meet international standards, citing opposition boycotts, violence, and an internet blackout that marred transparency.<\/p>\n

AU Mission declares Tanzania\u2019s 2025 elections non-compliant with democratic standards<\/a><\/p>\n

In a preliminary report on November 5, the AU Observer Mission said Tanzania\u2019s October 2025 General Election failed to comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and international standards for democratic elections.<\/p>\n

The AU Mission\u2014led by former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi\u2014said the electoral environment \u201cbefore, during, and after\u201d the vote was not conducive to peaceful and credible elections.<\/p>\n

Masisi called on Tanzania to undertake urgent constitutional and political reforms to restore public trust and strengthen democratic accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this preliminary stage, the Mission concludes that the 2025 Tanzania General Elections did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections,\u201d the Masisi-led Mission observed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe preparedness of the electoral commission and other institutions was inadequate to address the challenges that compromised the integrity of the elections.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 \u2014 President William Ruto has cast doubt on President Samia Suluhu\u2019s re-election, saying such overwhelming victories would be \u201cunthinkable\u201d in Kenya \u2014 even as he steered clear of directly questioning the credibility of Tanzania\u2019s October 29 General Election. In an interview aired on Al Jazeera on Sunday, Ruto was asked about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124444\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}