Tanzania’s Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as president on Friday and became the first female head of state in the East African country after the death of President John Magufuli.
Hassan, 61, swore at the State House in the country’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam. She takes over the presidency following Wednesday’s announcement of Magufuli’s death, following more than two weeks’ absence from public life that led to speculation about his health.
In a statement, the presidency said Hassan would address the nation after being sworn in and also hold a government meeting.
The absence of Magufuli, Africa’s strongest COVID-19 skeptic, since February 27 had fueled speculation about his health and sparked rumors that he had contracted the disease, even though officials denied he was ill. Hassan said he had died of heart disease.
Described as a soft consensus builder, Hassan will also be the country’s first president born in Zanzibar, the archipelago of the Republic of Tanzania.
Her leadership style is seen as a potential contrast from Magufuli, a cheeky populist who was nicknamed “Bulldozer” for muscling through politics and who drew criticism for his intolerance of disagreement, which his government denied.
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