Government & politics — Tanzania

• 26 April 1964 (Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
• 29 October 1964 (renamed United Republic of Tanzania)
• notable earlier dates: 9 December 1961 (Tanganyika became independent from UK-administered UN trusteeship)
• 10 December 1963 (Zanzibar became independent from UK)

• history: several previous; latest adopted 25 April 1977; note - progress enacting a new constitution draft
• ed in 2014 by the Constituent Assembly has stalled amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments to constitutional articles including those on sovereignty of the United Republic, the authorities and powers of the government, the president, the Assembly, and the High Court requires two-thirds majority vote of the mainland Assembly membership and of the Zanzibar House of Representatives membership; House of Representatives approval of other amendments is not required; amended several times, last in 2017

• chief of state: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; note - following the death of President John MAGUFULI in March 2021, then Vice President Samia Suluhu HASSAN assumed the presidency; Vice Pre
• sident Philip MPANGO (since 31 March 2021) head of government: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021); Vice President Philip MPANGO; Prime Minister Kassim MAJALIWA (since 20 November 2015) has authority over the day-to-day functions of the government, is the leader of government business in the National Assembly,
• and is head of the Cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from
• among members of the National Assembly elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025);
• prime minister appointed by the president election results: 2020: John MAGUFULI reelected president; percent of vote - John MAGUFULI (CCM) 84.4%, Tundu LISSU (CHADEMA) 13%, other 2.6%; note - President MAGUFULI died on 17 March 2021 and his Vice President, Samia Suluhu HASSAN,
• assumed the office of the President on 19 March 2021 2015: John MAGUFULI elected president; percent of vote - John MAGUFULI (CCM) 58.5%, Edward LOWASSA (CHADEMA) 40%, other 1.5%
• note: Zanzibar elects a president as head of government for internal matters; elections were held on 28 October 2020; Hussein MWINYI (CCM) 76.3%, Maalim Seif SHARIF (ACT-Wazalendo) 19.9%, other 3.8%

Description

unicameral National Assembly or Parliament (Bunge) (393 seats; 264 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 113 women indirectly elected by proportional representation vote, 5 indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the Zanzibar House of Representatives, 10 appointed by the president, and 1 seat reserved for the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms);

Note

• in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the National Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland
• Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives or Baraza La Wawakilishi (82 seats; 50 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 20 women directly elected by proportional representation vote, 10 appointed by the Zanzibar president, 1 seat for the House speaker, and 1 ex-officio seat for the attorney general
• elected members serve a 5-year term)

Elections

Tanzania National Assembly and Zanzibar House of Representatives - last held on 28 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025)

Election Results

• - National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - CCM 350, Chadema 20, ACT-Wazalendo 4, CUF 3
• composition as of February 2024 - men 246, women 147, percentage women 37.4% Zanzibar House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - CCM 69, ACT-Wazalendo 6, TADEA 1, other 1
• composition as of February 2024 - men 48, women 29, percentage women 37.7%

• highest court(s): Court of Appeal of the United Republic of Tanzania (consists of the chief justice and 14 justices); High Court of the United Republic for Mainland Tanzania (consists of the principal judge and 30 judges organized into commercial, land, and labor courts); High Court of Zanzibar (consists of the chie
• f justice and 10 justices) judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court justices appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission for Tanzania, a judicial body of high level judges and 2 members appointed by the national president; Court of Appeal and High Court judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 60, but terms can be extended; High Court of Zanzibar judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Commission of Zanzibar; judges can
• serve until mandatory retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: Resident Magistrates Courts; Kadhi courts (for Islamic family matters); district and primary courts

31 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Geita, Iringa, Kagera, Kaskazini Pemba (Pemba North), Kaskazini Unguja (Zanzibar North), Katavi, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Kusini Pemba (Pemba South), Kusini Unguja (Zanzibar Central/South), Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Mjini Magharibi (Zanzibar Urban/West), Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Njombe, Pwani (Coast), Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Singida, Songwe, Tabora, Tanga

• Alliance for Change and Transparency (Wazalendo) or ACT-Wazalendo [Zitto Zuberi KABWE]
• Civic United Front (Chama Cha Wananchi) or CUF [Ibrahim Haruna LIPUMBA]
• Party of Democracy and Development (Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo) or CHADEMA [Freeman Aikael MBOWE]
• Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) or CCM [Samia Suluhu HASSAN]

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Tanzania; if a child is born abroad, the fat
• no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

• Dodoma
• note - Dodoma was designated the national capital in 1996
• Dar es Salaam, the original national capital, is the country's largest city and commercial center

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, EAC, EADB, EITI, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Michael A. BATTLE Sr. (since 27 February 2023) embassy: 686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, P.O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam mailing address: 2140 Dar es Salaam Place, Washington, DC 20521-2140

telephone

[255] (22) 229-4000

FAX

[255] (22) 229-4721

Email address and website

• DRSACS@state.gov
• https://tz.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Elsie Sia KANZA (since 1 December 2021)

chancery

1232 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone

[1] (202) 884-1080

FAX

[1] (202) 797-7408

Email address and website

• ubalozi@tanzaniaembassy-us.org
• https://us.tzembassy.go.tz/