Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been sworn in for a second term amid tight security, following an election marred by violent protests and rejected by the opposition as a sham.
The inauguration ceremony is being held at a military parade ground in the capital, Dodoma, instead of a stadium as in previous years. It is closed to the public but is being shown live on state TV.
Samia was declared the winner on Saturday with 98% of the vote. She faced little opposition with key rival candidates either imprisoned or barred from running.
International observers have raised concerns about the transparency of the election and its violent aftermath, with hundreds of people reportedly killed.
The authorities have sought to downplay the scale of the violence. It has been difficult to obtain information from the country or verify the death toll, amid a nationwide internet shutdown in place since election day.
Wearing a red headscarf and dark glasses, Samia took her oath of office at a ceremony attended by regional leaders and dignitaries, including the presidents of Somalia, Zambia, Mozambique, and Burundi. State broadcaster TBC had earlier said the public would not attend the event.
In her speech, Samia thanked the electoral commission for running the elections with “unquestionable efficiency”.
She expressed sadness over the violence that had resulted in “loss of lives and destruction of public property”, describing it as a blot on Tanzania’s image.
She said “it was not surprising” that some of those arrested were not Tanzanians adding that security agencies were investigating.
Opposition leaders and activists have said hundreds were killed in clashes with security forces. The opposition Chadema party told the AFP news agency that it had recorded “no less than 800” deaths by Saturday, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.
The UN human rights office earlier said there were credible reports of at least 10 deaths in three cities.