The Vice President of Tanzania, Emmanuel Nchimbi, announced this Tuesday his resignation from the position, less than ten months after taking office, arguing that the country's president, Samia Suluhu, "wants changes."
"I will resign from my position as Vice President of the Republic (...) effective from September 4, 2026," he indicated in a statement released through his social media, after formally communicating his decision to the head of state.
Nchimbi detailed that he is making this decision because he is "completely convinced that the president desires a change."
He also recalled that "I promised her that I would support her and our country with the utmost dedication and loyalty. I also assured her that, if she ever considered it necessary to appoint another vice president, I would leave this position," as he stated in his note.
National media, including the portal The Citizen, have pointed out that in recent months there has been a certain political distancing between Suluhu and her vice president following some public interventions by Nchimbi. Among them, the one made last month stands out, when he urged the population to "fight for a new Constitution," emphasizing that there was a possibility of advancing it before 2030.
The 54-year-old leader accompanied Suluhu as a candidate for the Vice Presidency in the presidential elections held last October, in which the president was re-elected with more than 97% of the votes.
On the other hand, an official investigation commission determined last April that more than 500 people, mostly civilians, lost their lives in the context of the protests triggered after the elections, most of them due to gunfire.