by Phyllis Johnson – SANF 05 no 83
Tanzanians are preparing to vote on 30 October to elect two parliaments and two presidents, including one for Zanzibar.
President Benjamin William Mkapa is standing down after 10 years in office. He is the third president of the United Republic of Tanzania, founded by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
Mkapa was elected in 1995 with 62 percent of the popular vote, and increased this to almost 72 percent the second time he faced the electorate in 2000, showing the positive response to his focus on improving the economy and the economic conditions of Tanzanians.
Mkapa credited the founding president Mwalimu Nyerere with establishing the national ethic, the common vision and values which form the bedrock of Tanzanian society.
Nyerere, who died on 14 October 1999, was popularly known as Baba waTaifa (Father of the Nation). He set the agenda of liberation, democracy, and common humanity in his vision for the continent, and was a key figure in the African struggle against colonialism.
After a period of building national unity through the single-party system, Nyerere led the transition to multi-party politics and stood down as president in 1985. The second president, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, served two terms after winning the first multi-party elections.
On this foundation, Mkapa prioritised economic development, stabilizing the macroeconomic environment and the exchange rate, widening the space for local and foreign investment, and reducing inflation to single digits, at less than 5 percent.
Tanzania is now ranked ahead of Kenya and Uganda in the 2005 global economic competitiveness rating produced by the World Economic Forum (WEF), a ranking based on macro-economic stability, the quality of public institutions and technological readiness.
The health delivery system has improved significantly during Mkapa’s tenure as has the road network, and Tanzania expects to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of full enrolment in primary education by next year.
Mkapa predicts that his successor will focus on the next stage, that of agricultural development, and he has left a regional legacy in this sector through hosting a summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders on agriculture and food security which set development targets and plans, including a regional food reserve.
Based on this record and Mwalimu’s legacy, the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and its presidential candidate, Jakaya Kikwete, is expected to win the elections from a field of nine candidates.
The main challengers are Ibrahim Lipumba of the Civic United Front (CUF) and Augustine Mrema of the Tanzania Labour Party, who got 16.26 and 7.8 percent of the votes respectively in the 2000 elections.
The president is chosen with the vice-president through direct, equal and personal universal suffrage, and is elected by a simple majority of valid votes cast. The Union president is the head of state and government. He is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF).
The United Republic of Tanzania is an independent, unitary, sovereign and democratic state committed to the rule of law. It was forged by two independent states – Tanganyika (independence 9 December 1961) and Zanzibar (independence 10 December 1963).
The Union was formalized on 26 April 1964. Its objective is to build a unified society based on freedom, human rights and peaceful existence.
All Tanzanians over the age of 18 have the right to vote to choose representatives for both local and central governments.
All residents enjoy rights embedded within the country’s Constitution such as the right to life, equality before the law, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and the right to work.
Citizens also have duties that include taking part in lawful and productive work, abiding by the laws of the country, safeguarding public property, and defending and protecting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.
The National Assembly (Bunge) elected in 2000 contained a total of 295 seats, of which 232 seats are elected by popular vote in the “first past the post” constituency system, while the remaining seats are appointed, including guaranteed seats for women.
CCM held 254 seats in the outgoing legislature, CUF 22, Chadema 5, TLP and the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendelo (CHADEMA) both had 5, and the United Democratic Party (UDP) had 2. Seven seats were vacant, for a total of 295 seats.
Constitutional amendments have altered the number of appointed seats, including an increase in the number of seats reserved for women. These seats are distributed proportionately by the Electoral Commission from lists submitted by political parties that have won seats in parliament.
Women participation in governance, politics and decision-making has been increasing slowly, and some women also contest the constituency elections.
The new Bunge will have 324 legislators of which 232 will be constituency reps, 75 for women’s special seats, 10 Union presidential nominees, 5 from the Zanzibar House of Representatives. There is one seat for a nominated representative of the disabled and one for the Attorney-General.
The United Republic of Tanzania holds elections at intervals of five years, and the last elections were held on 29 October 2000. Voter turnout in that election was 84.4 percent of registered voters for the presidential election and 72.8 percent for the Bunge. The number of voters who cast their ballots was just over 8 million.
The total population of the country is more than 34 million, according to a government census in 2002. The census showed the islands of Zanzibar with a population of almost one million and the remainder on the mainland.
Zanzibar holds its own elections at the same time for its president and national assembly, and these may be more closely fought. CCM held 34 seats in the last House of Representatives while CUF won 16.
Amani Abeid Karume, the current president of Zanzibar, easily won the nomination as CCM candidate to lead the islands for a second term, but he will face a stiff contest from his main challenger, Seif Shariff Hamad of CUF, in a field of seven candidates.
Karume got 67 percent of the votes in the 2000 election, to 32 percent for Hamad.
Zanzibar has its own president, with no jurisdiction over the mainland. For Zanzibar, legislative functions are vested in the House of Representatives which enacts laws except on constitutionally decreed Union matters, such as foreign affairs, home affairs and defence.
Clashes in 2001 over the elections in Zanzibar led to a settlement between the CCM and the CUF signed on 10 October 2001, termed the Muafaka II.
Under the agreement, a Joint Presidential Commission was set up to facilitate, assist and supervise the implementation of the agreed memorandum between the two parties. The agreement is central to the constitution and governance issues of the islands.
The challenge for the next president of the United Republic of Tanzania to be elected on 30 October 2005 is to maintain the peace and stability prevailing in the country, while at the same time sustaining the momentum of economic growth that has been realised under President Mkapa’s leadership. (SARDC)
