The party that has ruled Tanzania since independence from Britain in 1961 is a strange beast. Under Julius Nyerere, the country’s founding father, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (ccm), which translates as “party of the revolution”, forced millions onto collective farms. Yet faced with a wrecked economy and a population chafing under single-party rule, it changed course.
But for how much longer? Under Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s president and the party’s chairperson, ccm is facing the most severe legitimacy crisis in its history. An election in October sparked the first-ever mass protests in the usually placid population of more than 70m. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people were killed by state security forces.
Mrs Samia, who took office after her autocratic predecessor, John Magufuli, died in 2021, was long seen as weak. A Muslim from the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, whose population is about 3% of the national total, she has no base within the party and little charisma. She first styled herself as a liberal-minded reformer, welcoming opponents home from exile and mending ties with foreign investors. Many Tanzanians believed her.
But for how much longer? Under Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s president and the party’s chairperson, ccm is facing the most severe legitimacy crisis in its history. An election in October sparked the first-ever mass protests in the usually placid population of more than 70m. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people were killed by state security forces.
Mrs Samia, who took office after her autocratic predecessor, John Magufuli, died in 2021, was long seen as weak. A Muslim from the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, whose population is about 3% of the national total, she has no base within the party and little charisma. She first styled herself as a liberal-minded reformer, welcoming opponents home from exile and mending ties with foreign investors. Many Tanzanians believed her.
