Tanzania swears in Samia Suluhu as First Female President

Tanzania’s Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan was on Friday sworn in as the country’s first female president after the sudden death of John Magufuli from a mysterious illness.

Hassan, from the island of Zanzibar, will complete Magufuli’s second five-year tenure, set to run until 2025. She will be the country’s sixth President. The ceremony was held in Dar es Salaam,

“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.

She becomes the only other current serving female head of state in Africa alongside Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde, whose role is mainly ceremonial.