Tanzania’s leadership faced calls for smooth succession on Thursday after President John Magufuli, Africa’s most vehemently coronavirus skeptic, died after an 18-day absence from public life that sparked speculation about his health.
An opposition leader called for immediate inauguration of Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan as successor, saying that this would avoid a constitutional vacuum and avoid uncertainties.
The death of Magufuli, the first of a Tanzanian leader in office, opens the prospect that the country will win its first wife as president.
The constitution says Hassan, 61, is expected to assume the presidency for the remainder of the five-year term that Magufuli began serving last year after winning a second term.
Hassan spoke to the nation on television on Wednesday night, saying that Magufuli had died of a heart disease that had plagued him for a decade. She said preparations for the burial of the 61-year-old leader are underway, but did not indicate when she would take office.
Government spokesman Hassan Abbasi did not respond to calls and text messages seeking comment on the succession plans.
Magufuli was a staunch skeptic of Covid-19 who urged Tanzanians to avoid wearing masks and denounced vaccines as a Western conspiracy, frustrating the World Health Organization.
He had not been seen in public since February 27, leading to rumors that he owned Covid-19 himself. On March 12, authorities denied that he was ill and on Monday Hassan asked Tanzanians not to listen to rumors outside the country.
Also on Wednesday, she sent ‘greetings’ from Magufuli in comments to an audience in the coastal region of Tanga.
“The vice president must be sworn in immediately,” opposition leader Zitto Kabwe told Reuters by telephone from Dar es Salaam. “The constitution does not allow a vacuum … I will be concerned if the day goes by without it being sworn in.”
Nicknamed “The Bulldozer” because of his reputation for promoting policies despite opposition, Magufuli drew international criticism for his unorthodox and increasingly authoritarian tactics.
Although Hassan publicly defended Magufuli’s leadership style and often represented him abroad, she has been speaking more softly and less confrontational than the president.
“The vice president did not give the impression of popularity or significant influence within the (ruling party),” said Fergus Kell, an African analyst at the Chatham House study center in London. “This may pose some potential challenges in terms of managing conflicting interests and generate the necessary support within the ruling party to govern effectively. “
Traffic changed normally on Thursday morning and there was no strong security presence in Dar es Salaam, the country’s largest city, a Reuters witness said.
Some people stopped at city center corners reading newspapers, including a headline shouting “Mourning” and crying. As has been happening during the pandemic in Tanzania, many people did not wear face masks.
Tundu Lissu, Magufuli’s main rival in the October elections, when the president won a second term, said in an interview with Kenya’s KTN that it was time for the country to open a new chapter after Magufuli “caused havoc in our country”.
East African governments offered condolences, but some people in the region criticized their stance on Covid-19 and its leadership style.