Tanzania's main opposition party on Wednesday rejected a commission set up to probe killings during last month's election, saying it is not "independent" but a "scheme to hide the truth".
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the October 29 poll with 98 percent of the vote, but the polls triggered widespread protests that were brutally suppressed by security forces, who are accused of killing hundreds.
Last week, Hassan announced the formation of a commission of inquiry into the killings, her first conciliatory gesture toward protesters since the unrest.
"The commission cannot be independent or impartial, especially in a situation where the government is the primary suspect in the crimes being investigated," the Chadema party said on Wednesday in a statement on X.
The government has remained silent on casualty figures, but images and videos -- some not independently verified -- of the purported violence continue to circulate on social media.
An internet blackout during and after the election has also complicated efforts to confirm the scale of the violence.
The Chadema party said the commission "is a scheme to hide the truth, erase evidence and further harm the victims".
"It is an attempt to turn victims into offenders while sanitizing the real perpetrators," it said.
It urged international institutions to "pressure" Hassan for an "independent international investigation".
The statement also insisted that commission members "must have no ties... to the government or the ruling party".
On Tuesday, ACT Wazalendo, another opposition party, also rejected the commission, labelling it a "mockery to those who lost their lives".
Religious leaders in the east African nation have condemned the killings and called for independent investigations.
Hassan retained her post after her main opponents were jailed or disqualified.
The African Union said the polls did not comply with "standards for democratic elections".
