Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania’s first female president after the death of her controversial predecessor, John Magufuli, who denied that COVID-19 is a problem in the East African country.

Samia Suluhu Hassan becomes Tanzania's first woman President DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania’s first female president after the death of her controversial predecessor, John Magufuli, who denied that COVID-19 is a problem in the East African country. (1 of 17) Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, center-right, inspects the guard of honor after being sworn in at a ceremony at State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Friday, March 19, 2021. Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania's first female president, following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. (2 of 17) Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, right, is sworn in at a ceremony at State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Friday, March 19, 2021. Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania's first female president, following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. (3 of 17) Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, center, is sworn in at a ceremony at State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Friday, March 19, 2021. Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania's first female president, following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. 4 of 17) Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, center, is sworn in at a ceremony at State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Friday, March 19, 2021. Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania's first female president, following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. (5 of 17) Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, left, inspects the guard of honor after being sworn in at a ceremony at State House in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Friday, March 19, 2021. Samia Suluhu Hassan made history Friday when she was sworn in as Tanzania's first female president, following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. (6 of 17) Exiled Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu gives an interview to The Associated Press in Tienen, Belgium on Friday, March 19, 2021. Speaking of Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was sworn-in on Friday, Lissu said "The immediate job, the immediate decision she has to make, and she doesn't have much time for it, is what is she going to do about COVID-19? President Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down." (7 of 17) Tanzania's then Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan speaks during a tour of the Tanga region of Tanzania. Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in Friday, March 19, 2021, as Tanzania's president, making history as the country's first woman in the position following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. (8 of 17) Tanzania's then Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, left, speaks during a tour of the Tanga region of Tanzania. Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in Friday, March 19, 2021, as Tanzania's president, making history as the country's first woman in the position following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. (9 of 17) A man reads a copy of the Daily Nation morning newspaper reporting the death of neighboring Tanzania's President John Magufuli on a street in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 18, 2021. Magufuli, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic whose populist rule often cast his country in a harsh international spotlight, died Wednesday aged 61 of heart failure, it was announced by Vice President Samia Suluhu. Headline in Swahili reads "Goodbye Magufuli." (10 of 17) A portrait of Tanzania's former President John Magufuli is placed next to a book of condolences inside Tanzania's High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 18, 2021. President John Magufuli of Tanzania, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic whose populist rule often cast his country in a harsh international spotlight, died aged 61 of heart failure, it was announced by Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday. (11 of 17) A newspaper stand displays front pages reporting the death of neighboring Tanzania's President John Magufuli with headlines in Swahili reading "Goodbye Magufuli", on a street in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 18, 2021. Magufuli, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic whose populist rule often cast his country in a harsh international spotlight, died Wednesday aged 61 of heart failure, it was announced by Vice President Samia Suluhu. Headline in Swahili reads "Goodbye Magufuli." (12 of 17) A newspaper stand displays front pages reporting the death of neighboring Tanzania's President John Magufuli with headlines in Swahili reading "Goodbye Magufuli", on a street in Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, March 18, 2021. Magufuli, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic whose populist rule often cast his country in a harsh international spotlight, died Wednesday aged 61 of heart failure, it was announced by Vice President Samia Suluhu. Headline in Swahili reads "Goodbye Magufuli." (13 of 17) Exiled Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu gives an interview to The Associated Press in Tienen, Belgium on Friday, March 19, 2021. Speaking of Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was sworn-in on Friday, Lissu said "The immediate job, the immediate decision she has to make, and she doesn't have much time for it, is what is she going to do about COVID-19? President Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down." (14 of 17) Exiled Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu shows the scar of one of the wounds he sustained in a 2017 assassination attempt, during interview with The Associated Press in Tienen, Belgium on Friday, March 19, 2021. Speaking of Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was sworn-in on Friday, Lissu said "The immediate job, the immediate decision she has to make, and she doesn't have much time for it, is what is she going to do about COVID-19? President Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down." (15 of 17) Exiled Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu gives an interview to The Associated Press in Tienen, Belgium on Friday, March 19, 2021. Speaking of Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was sworn-in on Friday, Lissu said "The immediate job, the immediate decision she has to make, and she doesn't have much time for it, is what is she going to do about COVID-19? President Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down." (16 of 17) Exiled Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu gives an interview to The Associated Press in Tienen, Belgium on Friday, March 19, 2021. Speaking of Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was sworn-in on Friday, Lissu said "The immediate job, the immediate decision she has to make, and she doesn't have much time for it, is what is she going to do about COVID-19? President Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down." (17 of 17) Exiled Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu gives an interview to The Associated Press in Tienen, Belgium on Friday, March 19, 2021. Speaking of Tanzania's new president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was sworn-in on Friday, Lissu said "The immediate job, the immediate decision she has to make, and she doesn't have much time for it, is what is she going to do about COVID-19? President Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down." March 19, 2021 Wearing a hijab and holding up a Quran with her right hand, the 61-year-old Hassan took the oath of office at State House, the government offices in Dar es Salaam, the country’s largest city. The inauguration was witnessed by Cabinet members, former presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Jakaya Kikwete. The former heads of state were among the few people in the room wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19. Hassan succeeds Magufuli, who had not been seen in public for more than two weeks before his passing was announced on state TV late Wednesday. Magufuli had denied that COVID-19 was a problem in Tanzania, saying that national prayer had eradicated the disease from the country. But Magufuli acknowledged weeks before his death that the virus was a danger. A major test of Hassan’s new presidency will be how she deals with the pandemic. Under Magufuli, Tanzania, one of Africa’s most populous countries with 60 million people, made no efforts to obtain vaccines or promote the use of masks and social distancing to combat the virus. This policy of ignoring the disease endangers neighboring countries, African health officials warn. Although Hassan announced that Magufuli died of heart failure, exiled opposition leader Tundu Lissu says the president died of COVID-19, citing informed medical sources in Dar es Salaam. “The immediate job, the immediate decision she has to make, and she doesn’t have much time for it, is what is she going to do about COVID-19?" Lissu told The Associated Press at his place of exile in Belgium. “President Magufuli defied the world, defied science, defied common sense in his approach to COVID-19 and it finally brought him down,” said Lissu. "President Samia Saluhu Hassan has to decide very soon whether she is changing course or continuing with the same disastrous approach to COVID-19 that her predecessor took,“ the opposition leader said. Hassan must also decide how she will address Magufuli’s legacy, including whether to continue with his policies that took Tanzania from a relatively tolerant democracy to a repressive state, Lissu said, questioning if she will be able to restore the country's political freedoms and democracy. Lissu went into exile in 2017 after he was shot 16 times. The attack came shortly after Magufuli said those who were opposed to his economic reforms deserved to die. Lissu returned to Tanzania to challenge Magufuli in the 2020 elections. He lost to Magufuli in polls marred by violence and widespread allegations of vote-rigging. Lissu returned to exile, saying his life was in danger. Speaking at her inauguration, Hassan gave little indication that she intended to change course from Magufuli. “It's not a good day for me to talk to you because I have a wound in my heart," said Hassan, speaking Kiswahili. "Today I have taken an oath different from the rest that I have taken in my career. Those were taken in happiness. Today I took the highest oath of office in mourning,” she said. She said that Magufuli, “who always liked teaching,” had prepared her for the task ahead. “Nothing shall go wrong,” she assured, urging unity. “This is the time to stand together and get connected. It’s time to bury our differences, show love to one another and look forward with confidence," she said. "It is not the time to point fingers at each other but to hold hands and move forward to build the new Tanzania that President Magufuli aspired to.” Hassan will complete Magufuli's second term that began in October. She has had a meteoric rise in politics in a male-dominated field. Both Tanzania and the surrounding East African region are slowly emerging from patriarchy. After Magufuli selected her as his running mate in 2015, Hassan became Tanzania's first female vice president. She was the second woman to become vice president in the region, after Uganda’s Specioza Naigaga Wandira who was in office from 1994 to 2003. Born in Zanzibar, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago, in 1960, Hassan went to primary school and secondary school at a time when very few girls in Tanzania were getting educations as parents thought a woman’s place was that of wife and homemaker. After graduating from secondary school in 1977, Hassan studied statistics and started working for the government, in the Ministry of Planning and Development. She worked for a World Food Program project in Tanzania in 1992 and then attended the University of Manchester in London to earn a postgraduate diploma in economics. In 2005, she earned a master’s degree in community economic development through a joint program between the Open University of Tanzania and Southern New Hampshire University in the U.S. Hassan went into politics in 2000 when she became a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives. In 2010, she won the Makunduchi parliamentary seat with more than 80% percent of the vote. She was appointed a Cabinet minister in 2014 and became vice-chairperson of the Constituent Assembly that drafted a new constitution for Tanzania, a role in which she won respect for deftly handling several challenges. As president, Hassan's first task will be to unite the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party behind her, said Ed Hobey-Hamsher, senior Africa analyst with the Verisk Maplecroft research firm. The party has been in power since Tanzania's independence. As a Muslim woman from Zanzibar, Hassan may find it difficult to win the support of the party's mainland Christians, he said, warning that some entrenched leaders may develop “obstructionist strategies” against her. He said it's likely that Hassan will start her rule by maintaining the status quo and not embarking on a significant Cabinet reshuffle. Hassan is the second woman in East Africa to serve as head of state. Burundi’s Sylvia Kiningi served as interim president of that tiny landlocked country for nearly four months until Feb. 1994. Odula contributed from Nakuru, Kenya. AP journalist Bishr Eltouni in Tienen, Belgium, contributed. ---------------------- Mazi Literal Works To: SHINKAIYEJ@africa-union.org,MoussavouP@africa-union.org,MfasoniJ@africa-union.org Date: Jan 9, 2011, 6:03 PM Subject:Sanction/Cut of Diplomatic Ties can’t work in an Ethnic/Regional fractured Tanzania. For AU Bureau of the Chairperson Sanction/Cut of Diplomatic Ties can’t work in an ethnic/regional fractured Tanzania. No Country in Africa,could allow to amend its Constitution,should allow only two term,for Peace to be retained Until a Proper National Ethnic Conference under aegis of UN as to formulate the best co-existing Constitutions and to work out general ethnic agreement on its framework on how vast African minerals and Agricultural products with its abundant manpower could be harnessed and distributed for equitable development and Peace. African Election shall be used as a point of ethnic challenge, source of pouring out bottled Anger/mistrusted Aggravation or Political Ethnic Contest for State Power Control as any ethnic Group that has Political Power’s advantage, always use it for its ethnic Political Power’s advantage. Ironically, there is sources which factually revealed that the Incumbent President won the Ivorian election on basis of  all countered votes of  Tanzanians Votes with verifiable National ID, while Ugandan Election must be  won its election on strength of all votes cast by all Voters with unverifiable National ID and that is why most African Countries could not be able to have credible National ID which is pancreas for peaceful credible election and to safeguard  its Citizen from violent crime and to promote development with better welfare for its citizens. Also, all developed with some better developing Nations have credible verifiable national ID cards in place as it augur easy & peaceful Elections and ease better developmental benefits for all its citizens but why it is allowed in Africa and this, have caused Africa a lot destruction and lost, when UN with West can  insist that World/IMF can only recognize or do official business with any African Country that  have credible National Identity Cards in operation, but they are silent on this and this wicked collaboration that ruin Africa and create huge emigration problem for West and other developed Nations.Africans are waiting for the world to assist them in projects that create peace and development. ---------------------------- Soliciting for Maziliteralworks' Donation/any amount or Media laptop/window Computers' Donation, Phone Media Assistance for Mazi Literal Works' Dissemination/Publication.Upon your Response,more info of the US/Canadian Coordinator  will be sent. Visit these published Articles' websites. http://maziliteralworks.wordpress.com http://maziliteralworks.blogspot.com https://medium.com/me/stories/public http://disqus.com/home/channel/mazipatrick/ https://maziliteralworks.tumblr.com https://twitter.com/Maziliteraworks Regards, Mazi Patrick  O., email: akwaba2000@gmail.com Thinker, Writer, Political Strategist, Historian & Psychoanalyst.