Tanzania’s Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi has resigned from office and announced his retirement from active politics, saying he had become convinced that President Samia Suluhu Hassan wanted a different deputy.
Nchimbi disclosed his decision on Tuesday, August 25, saying he had written to Hassan to formally inform her of his intention to step down from the vice presidency and retire from public service and active politics.
His resignation will take effect on September 4.
Nchimbi said he had promised Hassan in August 2025 that he would leave office if she decided she wanted a new vice president. According to him, he was now convinced “beyond doubt” that the president wanted a change.
“I have fulfilled my promise to the president,” Nchimbi said in announcing his departure.
Nchimbi’s resignation comes less than a week after Tanzanian authorities suspended the publishing licence of the critical MwanaHALISI newspaper for six months.
The newspaper had reported claims that Nchimbi was under pressure to resign and suggested there were disagreements between him and Hassan. Authorities accused the publication of violating professional standards relating to accuracy, balance and verification.
The close timing between the newspaper’s suspension and Nchimbi’s resignation is expected to draw further attention to the circumstances surrounding his departure.
Hassan won Tanzania’s most recent presidential election with about 98 per cent of the vote, although international observers raised concerns about the conduct of the poll. Hundreds of people were reportedly killed in unrest surrounding the election.
When Hassan assumed office in 2021, she initially received praise for easing restrictions on opposition parties and the media. Opposition groups, however, now accuse her administration of returning to tougher policies associated with her predecessor, the late President John Magufuli.
Tanzania currently ranks 117th out of 180 countries in the latest press freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders.
Nchimbi’s resignation leaves Hassan with the responsibility of appointing a new vice president at a politically sensitive period.
His decision to leave both government and active politics, less than a year after assuming one of Tanzania’s highest offices, has added to uncertainty over the country’s political direction and the relationship between the presidency and other senior figures in government.
