TANZANIA – President John Magufuli, Africa’s strongest coronavirus patient, died following an 18-day absence from public life calling for a smooth succession of the leadership.
An opposition leader urged the immediate swearing in of Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan as successor, saying that would avoid a constitutional vacuum and prevent uncertainty.
But by 1400 local time (1100 GMT), more than 15 hours after Hassan announced Magufuli’s death in an address to the nation, there was no official word on plans for her swearing in.
The ruling CCM party called for calm and said there would be a special meeting of its central committee on Saturday.
Magufuli’s death, the first of a Tanzanian leader while in office, opens the prospect that the country will gain its first female president.
The constitution says Hassan, 61, should assume the presidency for the remainder of the five-year term that Magufuli began serving last year after winning a second term.
It also states that after consultation with their party, the new president will propose a deputy, the choice to be confirmed by the votes of no less than 50% of the National Assembly.
Speaking on state television late on Wednesday, Hassan said Magufuli, 61, had died from the heart disease that had plagued him for a decade. She said burial arrangements were under way but did not indicate when she would be sworn in.
Government spokesman Hassan Abbasi did not respond to calls and texts seeking comment on succession plans.
Magufuli had not been seen in public since Feb. 27, sparking rumours he had COVID-19. On March 12, officials denied he had fallen ill and on Monday Hassan had urged Tanzanians not to listen to rumours from outside the country.
As late as Wednesday, she sent ‘greetings’ from Magufuli in a remarks to an audience in the coastal region of Tanga.
“The VP has to be sworn in immediately,” opposition leader Zitto Kabwe told Reuters by phone from Dar es Salaam. “The constitution doesn’t allow a vacuum … I will be concerned if the day passes without her being sworn in.”
A source who advises businesses operating in Tanzania said “The next 48 hours are crucial … There is likely to be uncertainty. Some people will want to purge some Magufuli hardliners, but given how he restructured the intelligence services, that is easier said than done.”
Nicknamed “The Bulldozer” because of his reputation for pushing through policies despite opposition, Magufuli drew international criticism for his unorthodox and increasingly authoritarian tactics.
