She is set to become Africa’s only current female political head of state – the Ethiopian presidency is a largely ceremonial role – and joins a shortlist of women on the continent who have made it to the top.
The 61-year-old is affectionately known as Mama Samia – in Tanzanian culture that reflects the respect she is held in, rather than reducing her to a gendered role.
But she was a surprise choice for a running mate in 2015, leaping over several other more prominent politicians in the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power in one form or another since independence in 1961.
First elected to a public office in 2000, she came to national prominence in 2014 as the vice-chairperson of the Constituent Assembly, created to draft a new constitution. There her calm demeanor in managing occasional outbreaks of pandemonium and the way in which she dealt with some of the more outspoken members earned her plaudits.
