Dodoma, March 18: Tanzania's Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan is set to take over reins of the African country as President after the death of John Magufuli. Samia Suluhu Hassan will become the first female President in Tanzania and East Africa. Tanzanian President John Magufuli died due to a heart disease at the age of 61. His demise was announced by Hassan today.

According to the Tanzanian Constitution, if a President dies, Vice President takes over the government for the unexpired period of the term of five years. Therefore, after Magufuli's death, Vice President Hassan will be sworn in and become President for the remainder of Magufuli’s term until 2025. Magufuli was re-elected the president of Tanzania in October 2020.

Who Is Samia Suluhu Hassan?

In absence of President Magufuli, Samia Suluhu Hassan has always been the face of the Tanzanian government. Born on January 27, 1960 in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, Samia Suluhu used to represent Tanzania at all UN, AU, SADC and EAC meetings that are held outside the country, which made her the most noticeable figure from her country.

Samia Suluhu went to school in Zanzibar and studied statistics at the Zanzibar Institute of Financial Administration. In 1977, she took a job as clerk in the Ministry of Planning and Development. In 1986 joined Mzumbe University for advanced studies in Public Administration. Later, she joined the Institute of Management for Leaders in India's Hyderabad. She completed her post-graduate diploma in economics from the University of Manchester in 2005.

Samia Suluhu entered politics in 2000 and joined the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). After she was elected as a special seat member to the Zanzibar House of Representatives, President Amani Karume appointed her as a minister. She was the only high-ranking woman minister in the cabinet. She retained her seat in 2005 and was re-appointed as a minister. In 2010, she won election to the National Assembly, winning the Makunduchi parliamentary seat.

In 2015, CCM's presidential nominee John Magufuli chose her as his running mate, making her the first female running mate in the party's history. When Magufuli was elected as President after the elections, she became the first female Vice President in the history of the country. Once she is sworn-in as President, she will become the 6th President of Tanzania, the first Zanzibari president and the country's first female president.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2021 03:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).