Tanzania to swear-in new president on Friday after death of Magufuli
Tanzania’s Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan was due to be sworn in as president on Friday, a government official said, a historic move that is set to make her the East African country’s first female head of state.
Hassan’s ascension to the presidency comes after the death of President John Magufuli, 61, whose death due to heart disease was announced on Wednesday, more than two weeks after he was last seen in public.
Magufuli’s absence since February 27 had fueled speculation about his health and sparked rumors he had contracted COVID-19, although officials had denied he was ill.
In a tweet on Friday morning, confirmed by the presidency, government spokesman Hassan Abbasi said Vice President Hassan, 61, will be sworn in at 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Friday.
According to Tanzania’s constitution, the vice president serves out the remainder of the term of a president who dies in office. Magufuli, who was first elected in 2015, secured a second five-year term in polls in October last year.
Described as a soft-spoken consensus-builder, Hassan is poised to be the country’s first female president and the first to be born in Zanzibar, the archipelago that forms part of the union of the Republic of Tanzania.
Article continues after this advertisementHer leadership style is seen as a potential contrast from Magufuli, a brash populist who earned the nickname “Bulldozer” for muscling through policies and who drew criticism for his intolerance of dissent.
For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.