Africa-Press – Tanzania. CHAMA Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Central Committee of the National Executive Committee has expressed confidence in the new party chairperson, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, saying, she is the right person to step into the shoes left by her predecessor, Dr John Magufuli.
CCM Deputy Secretary- General for Zanzibar, Dr Abdallah Juma Mabodi told members of the CCM extraordinary congress in Dodoma yesterday that the party’s CC presented Samia’s name to NEC to be endorsed as the party chairperson because the committee had no doubt with her strengths and ability to lead the party.
Ms Samia was on Friday endorsed by 100 per cent as CCM National Chairperson by the party’s extraordinary National Congress. She becomes the first female chairperson of one of Africa’s oldest political movement.
“Based on the fact that the party chairperson is a national leader who reflects the image of the party to the public and is aware of the sensitivity of the post, the CC proposed her name because she is highly experienced on various leadership issues at national and international level,” Dr Mabodi said.
He noted that Samia has demonstrated good leadership qualities within CCM and during the entire time she served as a senior leader in the Union and Zanzibar governments.
“She served as vice chairperson of the Constituent Assembly and Vice President in the period of five years…she also showed great maturity, ability, professionalism and competence within a short time after she was sworn in as the sixth phase president,” Dr Mabodi pointed out.
He said the Central Committee has no doubt about her integrity, truthfulness and her affection to the party.
“She is also loyal and strong supporter of the Zanzibar revolution, union and peace. Samia is also a guardian of democracy and a good patriot.”
In 2000, Samia was elected as a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives for Special Seats and appointed as Minister by President Amani Abeid Karume.
She was the only high-ranking woman minister in the cabinet. In 2005, she was re-elected and appointed minister, while in 2010, she contested and won by more than 80 percent and represented Makunduchi constituency.
In 2014, the then president of the Union Government, Dr Jakaya Kikwete appointed her as Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office responsible for Union Matters.
In the same year, she was elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly which was tasked to draft the country’s new constitution.
In July 2015, the CCM Presidential candidate, the late Dr John Magufuli named Samia as his running mate for the 2015 general election, making her the first female running mate in the party’s history and the first female Vice-President in the country.
Ms Samia was nominated for the second time as Dr Magufuli’s running mate in the 2020 general election and continued serving as Vice- President after her party won a landslide victory.
She served in the position for hardly five months before she was sworn in as Tanzania’s first female president following the death of her predecessor, Dr Magufuli.
