V.

Government

The United Republic of Tanzania was formed on April 26, 1964, by the adoption of an Act of Union between Tanganyika, on the mainland, and the island of Zanzibar. The nation is governed under the constitution of 1977, as amended. The internal affairs of Zanzibar are administered under a constitution of 1985.

A.

Executive

The chief executive of Tanzania is a president, who is popularly elected to a five-year term. The president appoints a vice president, prime minister, and cabinet.

B.

Legislature

The legislature of Tanzania is the unicameral National Assembly. It has 274 members, 232 of whom are popularly elected to five-year terms. Most of the rest of the members are either elected by the National Assembly, appointed by the president, or sit by virtue of being commissioners of the country’s regions.

C.

Judiciary

The highest tribunals in Tanzania are the Court of Appeal and the High Court. Lesser courts include district and primary courts. People’s courts function in Zanzibar.

D.

Local Government

The mainland is divided into 21 regions, Zanzibar into 3 regions, and Pemba into 2 regions. The governments of the regions are headed by regional commissioners. The 1985 constitution of Zanzibar provides for a popularly elected president and a 75-member house of representatives (50 elected, 25 appointed).

E.

Political Parties

The country’s leading political party is the Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or CCM). It was formed in 1977 by the amalgamation of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) and Zanzibar’s Afro-Shirazi Party. Opposition parties were legalized in 1992. The Civic United Front (CUF) is a leading opposition party in Zanzibar.

F.

Defense

In 2004 the armed forces of Tanzania had 27,000 members—23,000 in the army, 3,000 in the air force, and 1,000 in the navy.