Politics of Tanzania

[1][needs update] 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.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, under the administration of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Tanzania undertook a number of political and economic reforms.

Two parliamentary by-elections in early 1994, both won by Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), were the first-ever multiparty elections in Tanzanian history.

The ruling CCM party’s candidate, Benjamin W. Mkapa, defeated his three main rivals, winning the presidential election with 71% of the vote.

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.

[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.

[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.

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.

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.

Laws passed by the National Assembly are valid for Zanzibar only in specifically designated union matters.

Tanzania has a five-level judiciary, which comprises the jurisdictions of tribal, Islamic, and British common law.

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.