Emmanuel Nchimbi has resigned as Tanzania's Vice-President, ending a run in office that lasted less than 10 months and making him the first person in the country's history to step down from the post. He shared his resignation letter on Instagram and said he would retire from public life at the end of next week.
The 54-year-old said he was moving to respect President Samia Suluhu Hassan's wishes, and sources in his office and the presidency confirmed the move. That explanation matters because this is not a routine departure from a ceremonial role: Nchimbi was sworn in only last November, after running as Hassan's running mate in last October's disputed presidential election and winning 98% of the vote.
In his letter, Nchimbi wrote that he had become convinced the president wanted changes and said he had promised to step aside if she wanted another deputy. He thanked Hassan and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, and said he would remain a good citizen of Tanzania. Those lines offer the clean version of the departure, but they sit alongside weeks of reports that he had fallen out with Hassan, leaving the public explanation and the political reading of it in uneasy proximity.
The resignation lands against a fraught backdrop. Violent protests after voting led to the deaths of at least 500 people, according to an official enquiry, and opposition parties and human rights groups accused the security forces of unleashing a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters. Last month, Nchimbi urged Tanzanians to fight for a new constitution and said there was an opportunity to secure one before 2030, linking reform to injustice, human rights, good governance and democracy.
Nchimbi came into the vice-presidency after a long run through the state and the ruling party. He previously served as secretary-general of Chama Cha Mapinduzi, then as minister of information and home affairs, before becoming Tanzania's ambassador to Brazil and then ambassador to Egypt. His exit now leaves Hassan with the task of managing both a rare constitutional departure and the question of whether a new deputy will be named before he leaves public life at the end of next week.
