Tanzania’s ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has expelled Vice President Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi from the party, just a day after he announced plans to resign from the country’s second-highest office and retire from public life.
The dramatic move followed an emergency late-night meeting of CCM’s Central Committee and National Executive Committee (NEC), chaired by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam.
CCM Secretary-General Dr Asha-Rose Migiro announced Nchimbi’s expulsion at about 10:30pm, saying the party had found that he violated its Constitution and regulations.
“After considering all available information, it was established that the Constitution of Chama Cha Mapinduzi and its regulations had been violated… Consequently, effective immediately, Nchimbi has been expelled from the party and is no longer a member,” Migiro said.
The expulsion came after Nchimbi publicly announced that he would step down as Vice President and retire from public life.
Nchimbi, who took office in November 2025 as President Samia’s running mate, said he had decided to make way after sensing that the President wanted a structural shift in her administration.
He had scheduled his formal departure for September 4, 2026.
However, CCM’s leadership moved to cut ties with him before that date, bringing to the surface tensions that had reportedly been building within the ruling party.
Officially, the party alleged violations of internal discipline and ethics. Political insiders, however, have pointed to disagreements over government policy, political reforms and early positioning ahead of the 2030 presidential succession.
Nchimbi, a veteran diplomat and former CCM Secretary-General, had increasingly presented himself as a moderate voice advocating political tolerance and justice.
His critics within CCM accused him of failing to strongly defend the administration amid growing post-election scrutiny and public disputes.
His expulsion now removes him from the ruling party and effectively ends his political influence within CCM ahead of his planned departure from government.
The party has already moved to fill the vacancy.
CCM’s leadership endorsed Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi as its nominee for the Vice Presidency.
Ndejembi, who is also the Member of Parliament for Chamwino, represents a younger generation of CCM leaders. He previously served as a District Commissioner and Deputy Minister in the President’s Office.
His nomination brings an energy and infrastructure-focused minister into consideration for one of the country’s top executive positions.
The political battle now moves to Parliament.
Under Tanzania’s constitutional framework, when the Vice President’s office becomes vacant, the President’s nominee must be submitted to the National Assembly for confirmation.
Lawmakers are expected to debate and vote on Ndejembi’s nomination before the current parliamentary session ends.
If confirmed, Ndejembi will take over as Tanzania’s next Vice President, marking a rapid change at the top of the country’s executive just nine months after Nchimbi assumed the position.
