South Africa’s (SA) Thabo Mbeki Foundation has raised concerns on the general elections held in Tanzania last month and sent condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the violent protests.

The foundation says the election Observers from Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) concluded that the General Election fell short of the Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections of both SADC and the AU, as well as international standards.

It says the Tanzanian voters were unable to freely express their democratic will.

The Foundation added that both the SADC and AU observers assert that the Presidential and Parliamentary results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission are not a true reflection of the will of the Tanzanian people.

It says this leads to the deeply troubling conclusion that the United Republic of Tanzania currently lacks a legitimate government.

–SABC–