Following the now-former President John Magufuli’s death from a heart disease on Wednesday, his vice president, Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as Tanzania’s first female leader on Friday and became the country’s first President to take office without an election. Her inauguration ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, Speaker Job Ndugai, Chief Justice Ibrahim Hamis Juma, and former Presidents Jakaya Kikwete and Ali Hassan Mwinyi, among others.
Suluhu has also become Africa’s second serving head of state, alongside Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, whose position is largely viewed as ceremonial. She will now see out the rest of Magufuli’s term, which began on November 5, 2020 and ends in 2025. She has also assumed the role of the chairperson of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) following a unanimous agreement among party members.
In her inauguration speech, Suluhu adopted a sombre tone, saying, “Today is not a very good day to address the nation, because I am overwhelmed by a big wound in my heart. The oath I have taken today, as opposed to all oaths of office I have ever taken in my life, is the highest in our land. But it comes with sadness and a country full of sorrow.”
She struck a conciliatory note by saying, “This is the time to stand together and get connected. It’s time to bury our differences, show love to one another and look forward with confidence,” before adding, “It is not the time to point fingers at each other but to hold hands and move forward to build the new Tanzania that President Magufuli aspired to.” On Magufuli, she said that she “learnt a lot from him” and reassured that “nothing will go wrong” despite the abrupt change in leadership.
Later, on Monday, the government held a State funeral for Magufuli, which was attended by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, Zambian President Edgar Lungu, Botswanan President Mogkweetsi Masisi, and Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente.
Kenyan President Kenyatta, who is the current chairperson of the East African Community, put his weight behind Suluhu, saying, “My sister Samia, and now my colleague President, you've been shown the way by our brother, the late Magufuli. You have the mandate, now go forth and serve the people.”
Similarly, Malawian President Chakwera described Magufuli as “one of Africa's finest sons” and hailed his approach to tackling corruption, and said that he was “not just an icon” but a “hero”. Like Kenyatta, Chakwera said, “Let me assure you your Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan that Malawi stands with you during this hard moment.
Meanwhile, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni lamented Magufuli’s death by saying that the two leaders were on the cusp of signing a crude oil pipeline deal between Uganda, Tanzania, and Total and said that the signing ceremony was scheduled for Monday. It is thought that the pipeline will form the world’s “longest heated crude oil pipeline”. In Magufuli’s honour, Museveni ordered all flags in Uganda to be flown at half-mast until his burial was completed.
61-year-old Suluhu’s rise up the Tanzanian political ladder has spanned across 20 years. In 2000, she was elected as a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives, and served as a Cabinet minister in the semi-autonomous region until 2010, when she won an election in the Makunduchi constituency and was appointed as the Minister of State for Union Matters by erstwhile Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete. Later that year, she was elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly. Then, in 2015, John Magufuli named Suluhu as his running mate for the election, a post which she maintained following Magufuli’s electoral victory in 2020 as well.
Suluhu was congratulated for his ascent to the Presidential position by the United States’ (US) Vice President, Kamala Harris.
Sending best wishes to @SuluhuSamia following her swearing in as Tanzania's new President - the first woman to hold the office. The United States stands ready to work with you to strengthen relations between our countries.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) March 20, 2021
Others, however, have focused less on Suluhu’s swearing-in and more on the legacy left behind by Magufuli. For instance, Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was defeated by Magufuli in the October election under dubious circumstances, previously called the ex-president’s death “poetic justice”, labelling him as a dictator.
Lissu and others have suggested that Magufuli did not die from chronic atrial fibrillation, but from COVID-19. It has been speculated that the government is covering up the true cause of Magufuli’s death due to the former leader’s months of coronavirus denialism and failure and refusal to implement adequate containment measures.
Despite the lack of opposition to Suluhu’s appointment as President and the chairperson of the CCM, it is thought that her Islamic faith and the fact that she hails from Zanzibar could foment stiff challenges from Christian nationalists within the CCM.