Is Tanzania ready for its first female president?

Under Tanzania's constitution Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan is to become president following the death of John Magufuli.

Tanzania could be set for a very different kind of leadership. Barn-storming populist Magufuli was known as 'the Bulldozer' for pushing policies through in the face of opposition.

Hassan is seen as more of a consensus builder. That could be useful when dealing with the various factions within the ruling CCM party.

Hassan would also be the first Tanzanian president born on the occasionally restive, autonomous Zanzibar archipelago, rather than the African mainland.

As a Muslim woman from those islands, who has described her self as softly spoken, she sits in stark contrast to the brash Christian Magufuli.

A party insider said that's one of the reasons she was picked as his running mate for in 2015.

In the six years since then Magufuli drew international criticism for his increasingly authoritarian tactics.

Hassan publicly championed his leadership style

but privately, according to one politician who knows her, she was uneasy about the country's direction.

There was no immediate reply from her office to a request for comment.

More than 24 hours after announcing Magufuli's death, there's also be no official word on plans for Hassan to be sworn in.

She's due to speak on Friday about burial arrangement for Magufuli and the ruling party has said it will hold a special meeting of its central committee on Saturday.

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