UAE leaders congratulate Samia Hassan for taking oath of office as president of Tanzania

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has congratulated Samia Suluhu Hassan for taking the oath of office as President of the United Republic of Tanzania.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and  Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also dispatched similar cables to the new Tanzanian president.

Earlier during the day Suluhu Hassan said the country should unite and avoid pointing fingers after the death of John Magufuli, her COVID-19 sceptic predecessor, urging the east African country to look forward with hope and confidence.

Wearing a red hijab, she took her oath of office on the Holy Quran in a ceremony at State House in the commercial capital Dar Es Salaam. She is the first female head of state in the country of 58 million.

Vice president since 2015, Hassan gave a brief and sombre address after she was sworn in, addressing a heavily male crowd that included two former presidents and uniformed officers.

"This is a time to bury our differences, and be one as a nation," she said. "This is not a time for finger pointing, but it is a time to hold hands and move forward together."

WAM / Reuters