Controversial Tanzanian President John Magufuli dies at the age of 61 | Currently

Tanzanian President John Magufuli died on Wednesday at the age of 61 in a hospital in Dar es Salaam. The country’s vice president, Samia Solo, announced on Wednesday that Magufuli had died of heart disease. She will replace him until the next elections in 2025, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency of the country.

Magufuli has been known as one of the most popular skeptics of the Coronavirus on the African continent. He did not appear in public for two weeks, leading many Tanzanians to suspect him of being infected with the Coronavirus.

The country will be in a period of mourning for the next two weeks. Flags were also raised, and Haddad’s music was played on state television. Majufuli is the first Tanzanian president to die while in office.

Magufuli has been president of the East African country since 2015. Last year, he was re-elected in a controversial presidential election with 84 percent of the vote. He was nicknamed “The Bulldozer” because of his authoritarian leadership style and his fondness for large infrastructure projects.

The president last year angered the World Health Organization (WHO) by claiming that COVID-19 is not a threat. According to him, God and alternative treatments such as a steam bath can protect Tanzanians. He also claimed that the Corona vaccines were a plot by Western countries to extract wealth from Africa. In May, Tanzania stopped reporting coronavirus data.