The new Tanzanian president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was sworn in on March 19. She is committed to continuing the work of her predecessor. But already, she is trying to impose her method. What to arouse the curiosity of the international community.
In front of a room full of dignitaries, the Koran in the right hand and the left hand on the Constitution, Samia Suluhu Hassan became the president of Tanzania until the end of the mandate of the late President Magufuli. In a calm and gentle speech - a stark contrast to the thunderous rhetoric of his predecessor - Hassan solemnly announced 14 days of mourning. “Now is the time to come together and connect. It's time to bury our differences, show love for each other and look forward with confidence, ”she said.
Aware of the division that plagues the Tanzanian political landscape and the popularity of the late President Magufuli, Samia Suluhu Hassan has played the card of mourning in order to bring the country together. "This is not the time to point fingers but to hold hands and move forward to build the new Tanzania President Magufuli aspired to," she said.
Continuity or rupture?
Analysts say Hassan will sooner or later face pressure from Magufuli's powerful allies within the party, who dominate intelligence and other parts of government, and would try to influence its decisions and its program. Those who expected a total break with Magufuli's way of doing things will therefore have to come back. The new Tanzanian president will seek to build her own base, and she will not be able to take unilateral decisions like her predecessor.
However, in the short term, Hassan will have to face the management of the health crisis, and therefore decide to continue the measures, some aberrant, of Magufuli or be in total rupture with his predecessor. A difficult decision despite Hassan's mistrust of Magufuli, while the latter was still alive: “When you started working as president, many of us did not understand what you really wanted. We still did not know your direction, ”she declared publicly in June 2020.
Today Hassan can impose his style. Nevertheless, the recent tributes that the Tanzanian president has paid to her predecessor demonstrate that she is aware of the stakes. One might also think that this is a strategy to buy time in order to obtain international support that would help it consolidate the semblance of national unity that it has succeeded in establishing.
Entry into force of Samia Suluhu Hassan
It is precisely at the international level that Hassan shines. During her tenure as Vice President, she played a crucial role in strengthening deeper regional integration in Southern Africa and participated in most SADC Heads of State and Government Summits on behalf of President Magufuli.
In addition to her solid knowledge of regional integration, Hassan also plays on her image, that of being the first woman president of the country: “To those who doubt that a lady will manage to govern Tanzania, I want to assure you that who is standing here is a president, ”she said proudly.
Her Zanzibar origins and the fact that she sat as a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives in 2000, along with her Muslim faith, will facilitate economic deals with Southeast Asia. Malaysia and Indonesia would make perfect economic partners for Tanzania, which can establish itself as a benchmark in East Africa for these as yet untapped Asian markets.
In terms of PPP development projects, according to the new economic agreements that Tanzania will conclude, certain Arab Gulf countries would be potential investors in the projects of the Tanzanian government under Hassan.
Hassan's participation as vice-president of the Tanzanian Constitutional Assembly in 2014 also gives her a significant degree of legitimacy on the mainland. As for the islands of Zanzibar, their unity government will naturally support the new president.
United States latest to join new Tanzanian head of state. US Vice President Kamala Harris personally congratulated Hassan on his inauguration on March 20 on Twitter. “The United States stands ready to work with you to strengthen the relationship between our two countries,” wrote Kamala Harris.