Appointed As Tanzania's First Lady President, Samia Suluhu Hassan: It's Time To Stand Together

President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan. (Source: goldenwomen.org)

JAKARTA - The Vice President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was officially inaugurated as President of Tanzania, replacing the late President John Magufuli, who died of a heart attack on Wednesday, March 17. Hassan was sworn in on Friday 19 March at the State House, the capital city of Dar es Salaam.

"I, Samia Suluhu Hassan, promise to be honest and obey and protect the Tanzanian constitution," said Hassan, who was wearing a black suit and red head scarf at the inauguration, reported Al Jazeera.

In his first public address as president, Samia Suluhu Hasan announced 21 days of mourning for the late President Magufuli. He also announced a public holiday on March 22 and on March 25, the day the late president will be buried.

"This is not a good day for me to talk to you, because I have a wound in my heart. Today I have taken an oath that is different from the one I have taken in my career. It was taken with happiness. Today I took the oath of highest office. in mourning, "he said.

He said the late President Magufuli, who always loved teaching, had prepared him for his upcoming assignment.

"He taught me a lot, he was my mentor and prepared me sufficiently," Hassan recalls.

"This is a time to stand together and connect. It's time to bury our differences, show love for one another and look forward with confidence," he said.

"This is not the time to point to one another, but to join hands and move forward to build the new Tanzania that President Magufuli is dreaming of," he continued.

President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan. (Wikimedia Commons / Embassy of the United States, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

Tasks await

Described as a soft-spoken consensus maker, Hassan will also be the country's first president born in Zanzibar, an island nation that is part of the united Republic of Tanzania.

His leadership style is seen as a contrast to the late John Magufuli, a populist nicknamed the 'Bulldozer' for working hard through policies, drawing criticism for his intolerance of dissent, which his government denies.

Analysts say that as President of Tanzania, Hassan will be faced with the task of restoring a polarized country during Magufuli's years. In addition, he needs to build his own political base to govern effectively.

Hassan will also face a decision on whether to buy a COVID-19 vaccine for the country of 58 million people. Under Magufuli, the government said it would not get any vaccines until experts in the country had tested it.