New Delhi, Nov. 4 -- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday blamed foreigners for last week's deadly protests following a disputed election in which two main opposition candidates were barred from challenging her bid for another term.

A regional African bloc, meanwhile, said the Oct. 29 election had fallen short of its standards for democratic elections.

In her first comments after she was sworn in, Hassan acknowledged the "loss of lives" and asserted that "it was not a surprise that those arrested were from other countries," without giving details. She vowed to unite the country and urged security agencies to ensure that normalcy returns.

Her swearing-in was held on government-owned grounds in the administrative capital of ...