ZANZIBAR GOVERNMENT

ZANZIBAR GOVERNMENT

THE SEMI-AUTONOMOUS ZANZIBAR ARCHIPELAGO

The legislative authority in Zanzibar over all non-union matters is vested in the house of representatives (per the Tanzania constitution) or the Legislative Council (per the Zanzibar constitution).

The House of Representatives (or Legislative Council) have two parts: the president of Zanzibar and the members serving in the house. The president is Zanzibar's head of government and the chairman of the Revolutionary Council, in which the executive authority of Zanzibar is invested. Zanzibar has two vice-presidents, with the first being from the main opposition party in the house. The second is from the party in power and is the leader of government business in the house.

THE PRESIDENT AND THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HAVE FIVE-YEAR TERMS.

The president selects ministers from members of the House of Representatives, with the ministers allocated according to the number of house seats won by political parties. The Revolutionary Council consists of the president, both vice-presidents, all ministers, the attorney general of Zanzibar, and other house members deemed fit by the president. 

The house of representatives is composed of elected members, ten members appointed by the president, all the regional commissioners of Zanzibar, the attorney general, and appointed female members whose number must be equal to 30% of the elected members. The house determines the number of its elected members with the Zanzibar Electoral Commission determining the boundaries of each election constituency.

⁾ In 2013, the house has a total of 81 members: fifty elected members, five regional commissioners, the attorney general, ten members appointed by the president, and fifteen appointed female members. 

Judiciary

Tanzania has a four-level judiciary. Appeal is from the Primary Courts (first level) to the District Courts (mainland), the Resident Magistrates' Courts (mainland), or the Magistrates' Courts (Zanzibar) (second level). From there, appeal is to the High Court of Mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar (third level) and finally to the Court of Appeal of Tanzania (fourth level). All cases tried in Zanzibari courts, except for those involving Zanzibari constitutional issues and Islamic law, can be appealed to the Court of Appeal. A commercial court was established in September 1999 as a division of the High Court.

Judges are appointed by the Chief Justice of Tanzania, except for those of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, who are appointed by the president of Tanzania.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUBDIVISIONS

MAIN ARTICLES: REGIONS OF TANZANIA AND DISTRICTS OF TANZANIA

THE REGIONS OF TANZANIA

In 1972, local government on the mainland was abolished and replaced with direct rule from the central government. Local government, however, was reintroduced in the beginning of the 1980s, when the rural councils and rural authorities were re-established. Local government elections took place in 1983, and functioning councils started in 1984. Two years after the first multi-party elections in 1995, there was a major public sector reform. These reforms included a Local Government Reform Programme (LGRP), setting "a comprehensive and ambitious agenda

 four areas: political decentralization, financial decentralization, administrative decentralization and changed central-local relations, with the mainland government having over-riding powers within the framework of the Constitution." The principal local government acts were amended by the National Assembly in 1999 as a part of the Local Government Reform Programme. 

Tanzania is divided into thirty regions (mkoa), twenty-five on the mainland and five in Zanzibar (three on Unguja, two on Pemba). 169 districts (wilaya), also known as local government authorities, have been created. Of the 169 districts, 34 are urban units, which are further classified as three city councils (Arusha, Mbeya, and Mwanza), nineteen municipal councils, and twelve town councils. 

The urban units have an autonomous city, municipal, or town council and are subdivided into wards and mtaa. The non-urban units have an autonomous district council but are subdivided into village councils or township authorities (first level) and then into vitongoji.

The city of Dar es Salaam is unique because it has a city council whose areal jurisdiction overlaps three municipal councils. The mayor of the city council is elected by that council. The twenty-member city council is composed of eleven persons elected by the municipal councils, seven members of the National Assembly, and "Nominated members of parliament under 'Special Seats' for women". Each municipal council also has a mayor. "The City Council performs a coordinating role and attends to issues cutting across the three municipalities", includes security and emergency services. 

POLITICS

PRESIDENT KIKWETE SHARES A LIGHT MOMENT WITH PM PINDA AT THE LATTER'S HOMETOWN

MAIN ARTICLE: POLITICS OF TANZANIA

Tanzania is a one party dominant state with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in power. From its formation until 1992, it was the only legally permitted party in the country. This changed on 1 July 1992, when amendments to the Constitution and a number of laws permitting and regulating the formation and operations of more than one political party were enacted by the National Assembly. Elections for president and all National Assembly seats were last held in October 2010. The Chama Cha Mapinduzi holds approximately 75% of the seats in the assembly.