President of United Republic of Tanzania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Presidential Standard
Coat of arms of Tanzania
Incumbent Samia Suluhu Hassan since 19 March 2021
Executive branch of the Government of Tanzania
Style	Her Excellency Mheshimiwa Rais  (Swahili)
Member of	Cabinet
Residence	Ikulu
Seat	Dodoma
Term length	Five years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	1977 Constitution
Formation	29 October 1964; 60 years ago (1964-10-29)
First holder	Julius Nyerere
Deputy	Vice-President of Tanzania
Salary	98,287,560 Tanzanian shilling/US$42,000 annually

The President of the United Republic of Tanzania is the top leader of Tanzania. This person is both the head of state (the main representative of the country) and the head of government (the leader who runs the country's daily affairs). In Swahili, the official language of Tanzania, this role is called Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania.

Samia Suluhu Hassan became the President on March 19, 2021. She is very important because she is the first woman to ever hold this high office in Tanzania. She took over after the death of the previous president, John Magufuli, on March 17, 2021.

How Long Does a President Serve?

A president in Tanzania serves for a period of five years. The country's Constitution says that a president can serve for a maximum of two terms. This rule started applying in 1995.

What Powers Does the President Have?

The President of Tanzania has many important jobs and powers. They are the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, which means they are in charge of the country's military. The president also has to answer to the country's legislature, which is a group of elected people who represent the citizens.

Who Has Been President?

After gaining independence in 1961, Tanzania (then called Tanganyika) was first led by Richard Turnbull as governor-general. Then, Julius Nyerere became the first president in 1962. He was the only president under the 1962 constitution.

In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined together to form Tanzania. Since then, Tanzania has had six presidents. Most of them have served multiple terms. Julius Nyerere served a total of five terms from 1962 to 1985. All presidents of Tanzania have belonged to the Tanganyika African National Union party, which later became the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party.

Recent Elections

Tanzania holds elections to choose its president. The most recent general election took place in 2020. In this election, John Magufuli was elected president, with Samia Suluhu as his running mate for vice-president. They represented the Chama cha Mapinduzi party.

See Also

• Tanzania
• Politics of Tanzania
• List of heads of state of Tanzania
• Prime Minister of Tanzania
• President of Zanzibar