One Party against Many

Tanzania, which is a union of two states, mainland Tanganyika and Zanzibar, has had one party running the country throughout its independent history. Until 1992, Tanzania was a one-party state. Since, CCM has continued to lead the country despite facing opposition.

Interesting enough, before 1977, Tanzania was a one-party state, but had two parties. This is because it has two governments, one for the union and the other for Zanzibar. TANU ruled the union government and ASP ran Zanzibar until they merged to form CCM in 1977. The argument for the one-party system was based largely on a need for stability. Despite having a well-respected man as president, Julius Nyerere, who ruled until 1985, the one-party state posed some obvious problems to citizens' quest for liberty. The government did not have to face accountability for its actions. These actions included restrictions on various expressions of freedom. Nyerere, though allowing for debate on certain issues, controlled the nature of it. The various constitutions were given little credence and there were no checks within government to give it legitimacy.

Since multi-party democracy was instated, CCM has faced a weak and divided opposition for control of the union government. So even with multi-party elections, CCM is a de facto one-party state. CCM candidate Jakaya Kikwete received 80% of the vote for the union presidency in 2005. Even worse for the sake of Tanzanian democracy is that CCM does not have a democratic structure itself. So the president of the union government is essentially decided by the top brass of the CCM and not the Tanzanian people. Thus, he does not have to play to the concerns of the population because, in reality, they have no say as to his job security.

Opposition parties in Tanzania are often times covers for the ambitions of politicians. Most do not have a plan for the future or issues that they stand on. There are numerous weak opposition parties vying for seats in the union government. The division weakens the opposition further. These parties are not willing to merge to form a credible opposition that would keep CCM in check. Thus, the situation ultimately negates any real choice for Tanzanian citizens and creates an absence of accountability for the country's leaders.

Kikwete's closest competitor in the 2005 election for the union presidency was Ibrahim Lipumba of the CUF, who received just 11% of the vote. The CUF is largely a Zanzibar-based party. In Zanzibar's presidential elections, CUF has been much closer. But the tightness of the contests for control has led to tragic violence. CUF boycotted parliament after declaring fraud in the 1995 elections. That hostility carried over until a bloodbath ensued following the 2000 elections. So even the existence of strong parties has resulted in violence and general animosity in Zanzibar. The parties tend to be divided by island with CUF running strong in Pemba and Unguja filled with CCM supporters.

While Tanzanians do not yet have a perfect democracy (and really, who does?), it is progressing. Both governments need a strong opposition party, preferably one for each government, that reaches out to a broad coalition of supporters. These parties cannot play to Tanzanians' religious or racial differences, nor to the pride in the location of one's current residence. Instead, they need to come up with a plan for Tanzania's future and appeal to voters on that basis.