Samia Suluhu Hassan

She has been leading a large country of 66 million people, the continent's tenth largest economy, since 2021. Born in Zanzibar on 27 January 1960, Samia Suluhu Hassan's political career began in the 2000s with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the long-standing single party founded by Julius Nyerere. She gradually rose through the ranks, holding several ministerial posts before being elected vice president in 2015 on the ticket of the popular, controversial and authoritarian John Magufuli. Re-elected in 2020, President Magufuli died suddenly in March 2021.

Suluhu Hassan took over. Since coming to power, she has led several political reforms aimed at greater openness, including lifting a five-year ban on political gatherings and certain restrictions on the media. These developments are both significant and tentative. The ruling party wields considerable power, and there are many obstacles to greater openness. The next presidential election is scheduled for October 2025. Hassan has been nominated by the CCM. As the election approaches, the political climate seems particularly tense. The country has never experienced a change of government. Amnesty International has denounced mass arrests and arbitrary detentions. In September 2024, Ally Kibao, a senior member of the main opposition party, Chadema, was kidnapped and murdered. All eyes are now on President Suluhu Hassan to ensure a transparent electoral process and to see which direction Tanzania will take.