Following the sudden death of Tanzanian President John Magufuli, vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan has now been sworn in as Tanzania’s first female President.
The transition is all the more challenging given the major rupture – both political and economic – caused by Magufuli’s presidency. Magufuli, who won a second term in October 2020, dramatically centralised power and pursued an interventionist economic policy agenda. He courted controversy on a number of fronts, most recently, by claiming that Tanzania – contrary to mounting evidence was Covid-free.
Hassan has called for unity and counselled that now is not the time to look at what has passed but rather to look at what is to come. Despite the 61-year-old leader’s forward-looking stance, questions remain about how Magufuli’s legacy will shape her time in office.
Source: The Conversation
Image: Reuters
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