The political framework of Tanzania

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders: President: Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)
Vice President: Philip Isdor MPANGO (since 31 March 2021)
Next Election Dates: General election: 2030
Main Political Parties: The main parties represented in the Parliament are:

- Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution): African nationalism, social democracy, dominant ruling party holding the vast majority of seats
- Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema): centre-right, main opposition party
- Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT–Wazalendo): left-wing, third-largest party, strong in Zanzibar
- Civic United Front (CUF): centre, liberal, influence reduced after internal conflicts.
Executive Power: Executive power is exercised by the government. The President of Tanzania is both chief of state and head of the executive power. The President is elected in a national election every five years in which they must win more than 50% of the votes. The Cabinet consists of the President, the Prime Minister, the Vice-President and ministers appointed by the President among National Assembly members. The President also has the right to nominate 10 non-elected members of Parliament, who are eligible to become cabinet members.
Legislative Power: Legislative power is vested in the Parliament; however, the President exercises the authority to assent to bills in order to complete the enactment process before they become law. The National Assembly and the President make up the Parliament. The National Assembly, or Bunge, is formed of 393 members who serve a 5-year term: 264 elected from single-member districts by first-past-the-post, 113 elected from women-only lists by party-list proportional representation, 5 elected indirectly by the Zanzibar House of Representatives, Attorney General and 10 members appointed by the President. The National Assembly deals with both Union and non-Union matters that are not in the scope of the Zanzibar Government. The Zanzibar House of Representatives is the unicameral legislature of the islands of Zanzibar.

Indicator of Political Freedom

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Political Freedom:: 5/7

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