Mwinyi, Ali Hassan, 1925–, Tanzanian political leader. Entering politics in 1963, Mwinyi held government positions in Zanzibar, then several Tanzanian government posts (1970–84), before he was elected president of Zanzibar; he also became vice president of Tanzania under President Julius Nyerere. He succeeded Nyerere as president of Tanzania in 1985 and was elected to a second term in 1990; Mwinyi also served as chairman of the ruling Party of the Revolution (CCM; 1990–96). He is credited with improving the country's economy by reversing some of Nyerere's failed socialist policies and encouraging private enterprise and foreign investment. In his second term, he oversaw the country's transition (1992) to a multiparty system. His son Hussein Ali Mwinyi, 1966–, is a physician and member of CCM who has served in the Tanzanian parliament (2005–20) and as Tanzania's minister of defense (2008–12, 2014–20) and health (2012–14). In 2020 he was elected president of Zanzibar.
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