Tanzania: First Female President Takes Oath Of Office

Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Friday, March 19, 2021 as the country's first female President, two days after the death of President John Magufuli. Samia Hassan took the oath at the statehouse in the city of Dar es Salaam in a televised ceremony on state TV. In an address shortly after she was sworn in, Hassan said Magufuli's body would be moved to several locations around the country over the next few days for private and public farewell events. She gave little indication on whether she intends to change course from Magufuli. “It’s not a good day for me to talk to you because I have a wound in my heart,” said Hassan, in Kiswahili.

Samia Suluhu’s swearing-in on Friday makes her the first female President in the country. Wearing a hijab and holding up a Quran with her right hand, the 61-year-old Hassan took the oath of office at State House, in Dar es Salaam, the country’s largest city. The inauguration was witnessed by Cabinet members, former Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Jakaya Kikwete. She will have two major tasks. Deal with the Covid-19 pandemic which has been very disastrous and address Magufuli’s legacy of a repressive state. President Hassan will complete Magufuli’s second term that began in October 2020, and is eligible to stand for one-year presidential term only and not two. She will also have the task of selecting a new vice-president from the ruling party who will be validated by the Parliament.