Full independence came in December 1961 and Julius Kambarage Nyerere (1922–1999), a socialist leader who led Tanganyika from colonial rule, was elected President in 1961. One of Africa’s most respected figures, Julius Nyerere was seen as a politician of principle and intelligence. Known as Mwalimu (teacher), he proposed a widely acclaimed vision of education.
From independence in 1961 until the mid-1980s, Tanzania was a one-party state, with a socialist model of economic development. Beginning in the mid-1980s, under the administration of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzania undertook a number of political and economic reforms. In January and February 1992, the government decided to adopt multiparty democracy. Legal and constitutional changes led to the registration of 11 political parties. Two parliamentary by-elections in early 1994, both won by Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), were the first-ever multiparty elections in Tanzanian history.
In October 2000, Tanzania held its second multi-party general elections. The ruling CCM party’s candidate, Benjamin W. Mkapa, defeated his three main rivals, winning the presidential election with 71% of the vote. In the parliamentary elections, CCM won 202 of the 232 elected seats. In the Zanzibar presidential election, Abeid Amani Karume, the son of former President Abeid Karume, defeated CUF candidate Seif Shariff Hamad. The election was marred by irregularities, and subsequent political violence claimed at least 23 lives in January 2001, mostly on Pemba island,[2] where police used tear gas and bullets against demonstrators. Hundreds were injured, and state forces were reported to have attacked boats of refugees fleeing to Kenya.[3] Also, 16 CUF members were expelled from the Union Parliament after boycotting the legislature to protest the Zanzibar election results.[citation needed]
In October 2001, the CCM and the CUF parties signed a reconciliation agreement that called for electoral reforms and set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the deaths that occurred in January 2001 on Pemba. The agreement also led to the President appointment of an additional CUF official to become a member of the Union Parliament. Changes to the Zanzibar Constitution in April 2002 allowed both the CCM and CUF parties to nominate members to the Zanzibar Electoral Commission. In May 2003, the Zanzibar Electoral Commission conducted by-elections to fill vacant seats in the parliament, including those seats vacated by the CUF boycott. Observers considered these by-elections, the first major test of the reconciliation agreement, to be free, fair, and peaceful. President Mkapa, Vice President Ali Mohamed Shein, Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye, and National Assembly members will serve until the next general elections in 2005. Similarly, Zanzibar President Karume and members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives also will complete their terms of office in 2005.
As of 2010[update], Tanzania was ranked Partly Free by Freedom House.[4] The 2011 Democracy Index marked Tanzania as a "hybrid regime", ranking it 90th out of 167,[5] an improvement from 92nd the year before, but preceding a decline on a number of metrics as shown in subsequent Freedom House studies. By 2018, many of the factors taken into account by Freedom House had undergone a small but significant decline, with the most recent reports citing a marked deterioration in the rights of civil society and reduced the abilities of political opposition to criticize the Magufuli regime.[6] Tanzania remains in the "Partly free" category as of 2018.
According to Human Rights Watch since the election of President John Magufuli in December 2015, Tanzania has witnessed a marked decline in respect for free expression, association and assembly.[7]
On 19 March 2021, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan became the new president after the sudden death of President John Magufuli. She is the first female President of Tanzania.[8]
Executive branch
President Kikwete shares a light moment with PM Pinda at the latter's hometown
The executive branch of the Tanzanian government is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws and policies of the country. It is headed by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, who serves as both the head of state and the head of government. The President is elected for a term of five years, and can be re-elected for a maximum of two terms. In the event a serving president dies or is incapacitated and the Vice President serves three-fourths of the current term, they cannot run for a second term.
The president appoints a prime minister who serves as the government's leader in the National Assembly. The president selects his cabinet from among National Assembly members. The Constitution also empowers him to nominate 10 non-elected members of Parliament, who also are eligible to become cabinet members.
The President is assisted in their duties by the Vice President, who is also directly elected by the people. The Vice President may also be assigned specific responsibilities by the President.
The executive branch is further divided into ministries, each of which is responsible for a specific area of government policy. The ministers are appointed by the President and are responsible for the day-to-day operations of their respective ministries. Each ministry is headed by a Permanent Secretary, who is the chief administrative officer of the ministry.
Other important officials in the executive branch include the Attorney General, who is the principal legal adviser to the government, and the Chief Secretary, who is the head of the civil service and is responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the government.
The executive branch in Tanzania is responsible for overseeing the country's economic development, foreign affairs, defense, and internal security. It plays a key role in implementing policies aimed at promoting economic growth, improving living standards, and reducing poverty. It also works to maintain peace and stability within the country, and to build strong partnerships with other countries in the region and beyond.
The unicameral National Assembly of Tanzania or Bunge has 393 seats — 264 elected by popular vote, 113 allocated to women chosen by their parties in proportion to their share of the electoral vote, 10 nominated by the president, five members chosen by the Zanzibar House of Representatives, and the Attorney General as an ex officio member — all members serving five-year terms. In addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland. Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 70 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms).
Tanzania's National Assembly members are elected concurrently by direct popular vote for 5-year terms. The unicameral National Assembly elected in 2000 had 295 members. These 295 members included the Attorney General, five members elected from the Zanzibar House of Representatives to participate in the Parliament, the 48 special women's seats which were made up of 20% of the seats a particular party had in the House, 181 constituents seats of members of Parliament from the mainland, and 50 seats from Zanzibar, as well as seats for the 10 members of Parliament nominated by the President. The ruling CCM holds about 86% of the seats in the Assembly elected in 2005, and held 93% of seats in the previous Assembly elected in 2000.
Laws passed by the National Assembly are valid for Zanzibar only in specifically designated union matters. Zanzibar's House of Representatives has jurisdiction over all non-union matters. There are currently 76 members in the House of Representatives in Zanzibar, including 50 elected by the people, 10 appointed by the president of Zanzibar, 5 exofficio members, and an attorney general appointed by the president. In May 2002, the government increased the number of special seats allocated to women from 10 to 15, which will increase the number of House of Representatives members to 81. Ostensibly, Zanzibar's House of Representatives can make laws for Zanzibar without the approval of the union government as long as it does not involve union-designated matters. The terms of office for Zanzibar's president and House of Representatives also are 5 years. The semiautonomous relationship between Zanzibar and the union is a relatively unique system of government.
Tanzania has a five-level judiciary, which comprises the jurisdictions of tribal, Islamic, and British common law.[9]
In mainland Tanzania, appeal is from the Primary Courts through the District Courts and Resident Magistrate Courts, to the High Courts, ending in the federal Court of Appeal. The Zanzibar court system parallels the legal system of Mainland Tanzania, and all cases tried in Zanzibari courts, except for those involving constitutional issues and Islamic law, can be appealed to the Court of Appeals of the union.
The Judges of the Court of Appeal and the High Court are appointed by the President. Judges of more junior courts are appointed by the Chief Justice.
A commercial court was established in September 1999 as a division of the High Court.
For administrative purposes, Tanzania is divided into 30 regions—25 in the mainland and 5 on Zanzibar.[10] Ninety-nine districts have been created to further increase local authority. These districts are also now referred to as local government authorities. Currently there are 114 councils operating in 99 districts, 22 are urban and 92 are rural. The 22 urban units are classified further as city (Dar es Salaam and Mwanza), municipal (Arusha, Bukoba, Dodoma, Iringa, Kigoma-Ujiji, Lindi, Moshi, Mbeya, Morogoro, Musoma, Mtwara-Mikindani, Singida, Shinyanga, Tabora, and Tanga), and town councils.
Related Research Articles
The Civic United Front is a liberal party in Tanzania. Although nationally based, most of the CUF's support comes from the Zanzibar islands of Unguja and Pemba. The party is a member of Liberal International.
The Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) was an African nationalist and socialist Zanzibari political party formed between the mostly Shirazi Shiraz Party and the mostly African Afro Party.
Elections in Tanzania occur on both the local and national levels. The local government holds elections for street or village chair people. General elections at the national level elect the President and the members of the National Assembly. The president is elected for a five-year term.
The president of Zanzibar is the head of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, which is a semi-autonomous government within Tanzania. The current president is Hussein Mwinyi. The president is also the chairman of the Revolutionary Council, whose members are appointed by the president, and some of which must be selected from the House of Representatives.
Seif Sharif Hamad was a Tanzanian politician who served as the First Vice President of Zanzibar and as Party Chairman of ACT Wazalendo.
General elections were held in Tanzania on 14 December 2005. Originally scheduled for 30 October, the elections were postponed due to the death of CHADEMA vice-presidential candidate Jumbe Mohamed Jumbe. The elections were the third since the country returned to multi-party rule in 1992. Incumbent President Benjamin Mkapa stepped down after two consecutive terms in accordance with the constitution. Elections for the Presidency of Zanzibar and its House of Representatives took place on 30 October, as scheduled.
Amani Abeid Karume is a Tanzanian politician, the former president of Zanzibar. He held the office from 8 November 2000 to 3 November 2010. He is the son of Zanzibar's first president, Abeid Karume, and a member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
Augustino Lyatonga Mrema was a Tanzanian politician, who served as minister of home affairs from 1990 to 1995.
Aboud Jumbe Mwinyi was the second President of Zanzibar, serving from 1972 to 1984. He held several other positions, including Chairman of the Zanzibar Revolutionary Council, Vice-President of the Union of Tanzania, and the vice-chairman of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
General elections were held in Tanzania on 31 October 2010. The presidential elections were won by the incumbent Jakaya Kikwete of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party (CCM), who received 63% of the vote, down from 80% in 2005. The parliamentary elections resulted in a victory for the CCM, which won 186 of the 239 elected seats in the National Assembly.
General elections were held in Tanzania on 29 October and 29 November 1995. They were the first multi-party general elections after the lifting of the ban on political parties other than Chama Cha Mapinduzi in 1992. Nevertheless, the CCM retained its control of the country, with its candidate Benjamin Mkapa winning the presidential election, and the party winning 186 of the 232 constituencies. 182 of the constituencies were on the mainland, and 50 on Zanzibar.
Ali Abeid Amani Karume is a Tanzanian diplomat who is Tanzanian Ambassador to Italy and Dean of Tanzania Ambassadors. He is the son of Zanzibar's first president, Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume and a member of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party since its inception in 1977.
The Chama Cha Mapinduzi is the dominant ruling party in Tanzania and the second longest-ruling party in Africa, only after the True Whig Party of Liberia. It was formed in 1977, following the merger of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) and the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP), which were the sole operating parties in mainland Tanzania and the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, respectively.
Samia Suluhu Hassan is a Tanzanian politician who has been serving as president of Tanzania since 19 March 2021. She is the first woman to serve in the position. She previously served as vice-president of Tanzania from 2015 to 2021, from which she ascended to the presidency following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
General elections were held in Tanzania on 25 October 2015. Voters elected the president, members of Parliament, and local government councillors. By convention, the election was held on the last Sunday of October and was supervised by the National Electoral Commission (NEC). Political campaigns commenced on 22 August and ceased a day before the elections.
Jumaa Aweso is a Tanzanian politician and a member of the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) from 2012. He has been a Member of Parliament representing the Pangani Constituency in Tanga Region since 2015. He is the current Minister for Water and Irrigation.
General elections were held in Tanzania on 28 October 2020 to elect the President and members of National Assembly. The presidential election was won by incumbent John Magufuli of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party.
Zanzibari independence is a political ambition of some political parties, advocacy groups, and individuals of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region territory within Tanzania, to become an independent sovereign state.
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Tanzaniaportal 
