Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday nominated former finance minister Mwigulu Nchemba as the new Prime Minister.
The parliament backed the appointment of former finance minister Mwigulu Nchemba in a near-unanimous vote, as expected given that President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the landslide winner of the October 29 vote.
Nchemba, who also served in the cabinet of Hassan’s predecessor John Magufuli, said he would work diligently in his new post.
Tanzania has predicted that the economy will grow 6% this year, partly driven by infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and power generation. Budget spending is expected to rise about 12% this fiscal year to fund the projects amid cuts in aid from international partners including the United States.
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Opponents say Hassan’s government rigged last month’s election, which triggered unrest over the exclusion of her main challengers
The U.N. Human Rights Office has said it believes hundreds of people were killed in the protests, while the main opposition party and some human rights activists have said security forces killed more than 1,000 people.
Hassan, in office since 2021, has rejected criticism of her human rights record and defended the fairness of the election.
The government has said the opposition’s death toll is exaggerated but has not put forward its own figure for the number of dead.
Nchemba has been a member of parliament since 2010 and also previously held the post of deputy secretary-general of Hassan’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
Reuters/Shakirat Sadiq