Tanzania’s ruling party has moved swiftly to punish Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi after his decision to resign, expelling him from Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and raising fresh questions about growing tensions within President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration.
Nchimbi’s resignation, which takes effect on September 4, has caught attention in a country where political disagreements at the highest levels are rarely allowed to disrupt the carefully managed system that has kept CCM in power since independence in 1961.
The party’s decision to expel him came after a CCM meeting found him guilty of indiscipline, the AP reported. Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi was subsequently nominated to replace him as Hassan’s deputy, according to CCM Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.
The speed of the response has added weight to speculation that Nchimbi’s departure may have been linked to deeper disagreements within the government, particularly over the handling of Tanzania’s contentious October election and the violent crackdown that followed.
Nchimbi has not publicly detailed the reasons behind his resignation. Instead, he said he would remain “a good citizen” of Tanzania after leaving office. But his removal from CCM has ensured that his departure will be viewed through the wider political tensions surrounding Hassan’s administration.
Those tensions have intensified since the October election, when security forces were deployed to suppress riots following the disqualification of Hassan’s main political rivals. Authorities also shut down the internet for several days, a decision Hassan later apologized for and promised would not be repeated.
The unrest marked a sharp departure from Tanzania’s carefully cultivated image as one of Africa’s more stable and peaceful political systems.