Having survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times in 2017, Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu wasted no time in fleeing the country last week after receiving a death threat. The warning arrived shortly after Mr Lissu was officially declared the loser of the presidential election to incumbent John Magufuli, who received 84 per cent of the vote.
Mr Magufuli’s implausible victory was greeted with scepticism worldwide. The US state department raised alarm over “significant and widespread voting irregularities” that “call into question Tanzania’s commitment to democratic values”.
The twist is that, back in Washington, President Donald Trump and some other high-profile Republicans have alleged, without evidence, fraud in the US’s own presidential election.