United States Vice President Kamala Harris has congratulated Tanzania’s new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, the first female to hold the position since independence.
Harris, who also early this year made history as the first woman and person of colour to serve as US Vice President, said in a tweet on Saturday night that the United States was ready to strengthen ties between the two countries.
“Sending best wishes to Suluhu Samia following her swearing in as Tanzania’s new President – the first woman to hold the office. The United States stands ready to work with you to strengthen relations between our countries, ” she wrote.
Sending best wishes to @SuluhuSamia following her swearing in as Tanzania's new President – the first woman to hold the office. The United States stands ready to work with you to strengthen relations between our countries.
— Vice President Kamala Harris Archived (@VP46Archive) March 20, 2021
Suluhu was sworn in as Tanzania’s 6th President on Friday morning following the death of John Pombe Magufuli on Wednesday.
Read: Gains Late Tanzania President Magufuli will be Remembered For
Magufuli, 61, according to Tanzanian authorities, succumbed to a heart condition that he had been battling for about 10 years.
The President, nicknamed “The Bulldozer” because of his reputation for pushing through policies despite opposition, had just served for about five months in his second term in office.
Suluhu will serve for the remaining period of Magufuli’s five-year second term in line with the country’s Constitution.
There is a possibility that Samia will vie for another term in 2025.
She became Tanzania’s first female Vice-President in 2015 after being elected on the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) ticket along with President Magufuli.
Read Also: Samia Suluhu Makes History As Tanzania’s First Woman President [Video]
She previously served as a minister in the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar in the administration of President Amani Karume.
In 2014, she was elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting the country’s new constitution.
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