DODOMA- (MaraviPost)- Tanzania descended into political turmoil on election day as protests broke out in Dar es Salaam and several other major cities following the disqualification of main opposition candidates from the presidential race.

Protests are spreading in Tanzania as electoral authorities count the votes in a disputed presidential election that rights groups, opposition figures and others say was clouded by a climate of fear in the months leading to election day.

Ceremony held under tight security as foreign leaders in attendance; opposition decries violence and deaths - Anadolu Ajansı

The authorities in Tanzania responded to widespread protests following the October 29 elections with lethal force and other abuses.

While a spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party told news agency AFP that "around 700" people had been killed in clashes with security forces, a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Wanu Hafidh Ameir, the daughter of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, has built her own path in politics, serving as a legislator and CCM party member since 2005.

In Tanzania, an internet blackout and curfew fail to stop demonstrators challenging an election they see as predetermined.

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been reelected, amid protests against the vote, as two major opposition parties were banned.