Election violence in Tanzania last year left at least 518 people dead, a government-run commission of inquiry said on Thursday.
The announced figures are significantly lower than the opposition's estimates. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the October 29 election with 98% of the vote, after leading opposition figures were barred from the race.
The election sparked several days of protests across the country, which were brutally suppressed by security forces.
The commission, chaired by former Supreme Court president Mohamed Chande Othman, indicated that the toll could still rise if the authorities confirmed the existence of other unreported graves.
In its findings presented to Chairperson Samia Suluhu Hassan, the commission indicated that 490 of the deceased were men, 28 were women and 21 were children.
She further pointed out that most of the deaths were "unnatural," with 121 people having died in hospital while being treated for injuries.
Judge Othman stated that the events of October 29 could not be characterized as peaceful protests.
"What happened on October 29th were not peaceful protests, but acts of violence," he said.
The report indicates that no official notification was given to the police before the unrest, as required by law, and adds that the violence took place on a day when general elections were scheduled, thus undermining citizens' right to participate in the democratic process.
The commission based its conclusions on interviews conducted with victims, security services and medical personnel, as well as on the examination of official documents.
