Tanzania Parliament elects new speaker following Ndugai's exit

Tanzania's parliament elected a new speaker on Tuesday following the resignation of Job Ndugai in a public feud with the president that rocked the ruling party CCM.

Dr Tulia Ackson, who had been deputy speaker since 2015, beat eight other opposition candidates to bag the position.

"I believe we have elected the right person who will lead the parliament in the right direction," said senior MP William Lukuvi who supervised the election. 

"She knows her boundaries as speaker and she knows there is a head of state who is Samia Suluhu Hassan."

The 46-year-old lawmaker takes over at a time when political differences  have rocked the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party as it prepares for new elections slated for 2025. 

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has accused her rivals of trying to damage her leadership since she became Tanzania's first woman president in March last year following the death John Magufuli.

 Ndugai resigned last month after criticising President Suluhu over what he called excessive borrowing of loans  and accusing the government of going about with a "begging bowl".

His remarks triggered a debate over the Tanzania's debt levels that stood at almost $28 billion in November, according to figures published by Tanzania's central bank.