Tanganyika secured independence in from the British. Zanzibar, an archipelago off the mainland consisting of two large islands and many small ones, was granted formal independence two years later. It became a constitutional monarchy ruled by Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah. But this was short lived and a bloody revolution followed early in The revolution eventually led to the merger of the Tanganyika mainland with the islands of Zanzibar. And so it was that 53 years ago on April 26, , the United Republic of Tanzania was born.
While there are different reasons for the revolution in Zanzibar, it is generally accepted that ethnic tensions played a part. The coalition took power in spite of the fact that the predominantly black African Afro-Shiraz Party ASP had won more votes in elections organised by the British in and This led to the bloody revolution in which saw the Sultanate overthrown.
Scores of Arabs were murdered, mutilated and imprisoned by a paramilitary force dominated by black Africans who felt disenfranchised and disempowered. Hundreds of years of coexistence between Arabs, south Asians and Africans had blurred ethnic distinctions but during and after the revolution ethnicity was politicised.
The exchange ceremony was scheduled for late this afternoon, with Karume and Tanganyikan President Julius Nyerere acting for their governments.
The entire revolutionary council of Zanzibar, which diplomats once feared would turn into the Cuba of Africa, flew here earlier for the ratification ceremony. The parliaments of the two neighboring nations approved the merger yesterday and only the formal exchange of ratification documents remained.
The president of the new union is Nyerere, who is British-educated and considered a moderate. Its Arab-led government is soon overthrown by Abeid Karume. Nyerere establishes elected district councils, but TANU marginalizes their influence by retaining the right to veto council bylaws and approve candidates.
New elections are held, and Nyerere again sweeps to victory. Tanzania's dependence on foreign aid reaches extraordinary levels; foreign aid constitutes 83 percent of the development budget. TANU centralizes control of the commanding heights by nationalizing banks, major agricultural processing centers, primary industries, and export-trading companies. Poor response to voluntary resettlement leads TANU to use incentives and, ultimately, compulsion to encourage the movement.
Zanzibar's leader Karume is assassinated in He is replaced by Aboud Jumbe. An estimated 80 percent of the population now lives in 7, distinct communal villages, compared to 5 percent in Dozens of new parastatals are established as TANU tightens economic control. To be eligible for parliament, a person must be at least 21 years old, able to read and write English or Kiswahili, and a citizen of Tanzania.
A candidate must also have the support of one of the political parties. Parliament deals with all matters concerning the Union and mainland Tanganyika. The High Court is composed of a Principal Judge and 30 other judges. Judges are appointed by the President after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission.
The High Court has unlimited jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters. The High Court has appellate power over points of law and points of fact. A fifteen member Court of Appeals was established in It hears and determines every appeal brought before it arising from the judgment or other decision of the High Court or of a magistrate with extended jurisdiction.
A Special Constitutional Court SCC has jurisdiction over the interpretation of the constitution where such interpretation relates to disputes between Zanzibar and the United Republic.
Every conciliatory decision given by the SCC is final. In , the government launched a process to draft a new constitution for the country. The goal was to draft a more legitimate and nationally owned constitution. This provoked strong public and civil society protests, leading to the withdrawal of the bill. This withdrawal was, however, only short-lived as, as it was subsequently reintroduced and passed into law as the CRA or the Act.
There were fifteen members from mainland Tanzania and fifteen from Zanzibar. Selection of members was made from a pool of candidates proposed by political parties, religious institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders. The Commission collected public views through telephone calls, emails, blogs, and social networks. It also conducted country-wide meetings with the public. The Commission was split into seven groups to visit different regions in the country.
By October 10, , more than , Tanzanians had expressed their views on a new constitution , and the Commission released its draft Constitution on June 3, The next phase of the process started on July 5, with the consultative process. The constitutional review councils created for each district reviewed the first draft and submitted changes to the Commission. The Commission then submitted the draft to the National Constituent Assembly, dominated by members of Parliament, for review and adoption.
The president received a second draft from the Constitution Review Commission on December 30, , to be discussed by the Constituent Assembly. One of the more contentious proposals of the new constitution involves changing from a two-tier to three-tier government structure. Currently, Zanzibar has a government and the Unity government oversees both Tanganyika and the country as a whole. A three-tier structure would create a separate Tanganyika government.
However, some feel such a change would place considerable financial strain on the state. The Constituent Assembly was given 70 days from its first meeting to make a decision on the Constitution. That deadline expired on April 26, In early April, the Assembly requested that the deadline be pushed back in order for it to focus on approving a national budget for the fiscal year. The CA was given an extension of 60 days after it resumes in August. In mid-April, the Ukawa party, which forms more than one third of the CA, walked out, claiming that the draft was promoting segregation.
A two thirds vote is necessary for the Constitution to pass.
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