Share
Multiparty elections were reinstated in Tanzania in 1995, though the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has retained power with victorious presidential candidates and dominant representation in parliament. In 2005, Tanzania held its third multiparty Union elections for both the mainland and the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Jakaya Kikwete, was elected president with 80% of the vote. While 17 new parties contested, none was able to demonstrate significant public support. President Kikwete entered office with a robust reform agenda focused on ambitious economic projects to fight poverty, reduce public sector corruption, prioritize scientific development, and augment tourism. These reforms will require the development of meaningful political opposition, however, to provide the incentive to maintain such policies.
Zanzibar elections were hotly contested between CCM and CUF. In 1995 and 2000, elections on Zanzibar were contentious; domestic and international observers found serious faults with the process; and CUF rejected the results. In 2001, demonstrations organized by CUF to protest the conduct of the 2000 elections and calls for a new vote, ended in violence with over 30 demonstrators killed. Elections were better administered in 2005, but significant problems remain in particular concerned about the accuracy of the voter registry. President Amani Abeid Karume of CCM narrowly defeated CUF candidate Seif Shariff Hamad and was re-elected for a second term as President of Zanzibar. CCM also won the majority of the elected seats in the House of Representatives.
Current Activities
In November 2004, NDI began a capacity building program for all registered political parties in advance of the 2005 Union elections in Tanzania. This initiative was funded by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Joint Donor Basket for the 2005 Elections. NDI worked with all 18 registered political parties to help them to more effectively participate in the 2005 Union elections. In implementing the program, NDI worked in partnership with the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
For the Zanzibar elections, in which President Amani Abeid Karume of CCM narrowly won his second term, NDI organized an international observer mission with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The delegation issued a detailed final report on the Zanzibar elections (which can be found on Access Democracy or NDI's website).
Since the elections, NDI has worked with political parties and civil society organizations to create a more representative and transparent political process. In response to requests from political parties and youth leaders in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, NDI is launching a Regional Youth Political Leadership Academy (RYPLA) in Dar es Salaam to strengthen the skills and knowledge of young leaders needed to assist them in assuming leadership roles within their parties and for building constructive relationships across party lines. The program will also provide assistance to participants in their efforts to successfully implement individual projects designed to strengthen their parties.
Contact Information
For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:
Washington, D.C.
Alison Paul DeSchryver, Program Manager
(202) 728-5410
Subscribe to updates about Tanzania
