DAR ES SALAAM, March 19 — Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan was today sworn in as the country’s first female president after the sudden death of John Magufuli from an illness shrouded in mystery. Hassan, 61, a soft-spoken Muslim woman from the island of Zanzibar, will finish Magufuli’s second...
Friday, 19 Mar 2021 06:01 PM MYT
“I, Samia Suluhu Hassan, promise to be honest and obey and protect the constitution of Tanzania,” said the new president, as she took the oath of office before inspecting troops at a military parade and receiving a cannon salute. Main opposition leader Tundu Lissu insists his sources said Magufuli had Covid-19 and had actually died a week ago.
The main question hanging over the new president is whether she will usher in a change in leadership style from her predecessor, nicknamed the “Bulldozer”, notably in the handling of the pandemic.Magufuli leaves behind a complex legacy, after a swing to authoritarianism which saw him crack down on the media, activists and free speech, while refusing to take any measures against Covid-19.