Tanzanian parliament elects new woman speaker

DAR ES SALAAM: FEB. 2 – Over 350 members of Tanzanian parliament on Tuesday elected a 45-year-old woman as speaker of parliament, replacing Job Ndugai who resigned early January after he had criticized the government’s borrowing trend, saying it was unhealthy.

Tulia Ackson, who was deputy speaker of parliament, was elected speaker when she scooped all votes cast by 376 MPs who were present in the House Chamber in the capital Dodoma.

Ackson, a member of the Parliament for Mbeya Urban constituency on the ticket of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), beat her eight opponents from opposition political parties.

Ackson became the 8th speaker of parliament and second female speaker in the East African nation after Anna Makinda who was speaker from 2010 to 2015.

“I will make this parliament vibrant by ensuring that it meets its obligations of being a bridge between the government and citizens,” pledged Ackson in her acceptance speech.

-Xinhua