Polls opened on Wednesday in Tanzania elections in which the main challengers were either jailed or barred from running, with rights groups decrying a "wave of terror".

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, 65, is determined to cement her position with an emphatic victory that will silence critics within her own party, analysts say.

She was elevated from vice-president in 2021 on the death of her iron-fisted predecessor, John Magufuli, but faced opposition as the country's first female leader.

Hassan, who comes from the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, was initially feted by democratic campaigners for easing restrictions on the opposition and media, but hopes soon faded.

AFP saw polls open in Zanzibar, where analysts expect a tighter race due to the island's greater degree of freedom.

But

See Full Page