Nov 13 (Reuters) – Tanzania’s leader chose a longtime loyalist as prime minister on Thursday, after a disputed presidential election in the East African country prompted clashes in which rights groups say hundreds of protesters were killed.
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.
Opponents say Hassan’s government rigged last month’s election, which triggered unrest over the exclusion of her main challengers.
Hassan, in office since 2021 when Magufuli died, 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.
Richard Mbunda, a political analyst from the University of Dar es Salaam, said Hassan’s trust in Nchemba was demonstrated by the fact he had never lost his job in the cabinet reshuffles since she came to power.
Reporting by George Obulutsa and Vincent Mumo Nzilani;
Editing by Alexander Winning and Philippa Fletcher
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