Tanzania: An attempt to revive the constitution process after a decade of stagnation

Written by Amina Hassan

Twelve small opposition parties announced in  Tanzania  The formation of a new political coalition places the resumption of constitutional reform at the top of its priorities, more than ten years after the process that began in 2011 came to a halt. This step comes in a sensitive political context following acts of violence linked to the 2025 elections, which brought the constitution file back to the forefront of public debate.

An attempt to impose a political presence

This bloc seeks to strengthen its presence in a landscape dominated by the ruling party, by adopting a cause that enjoys relative consensus among  political forces  The proposed reforms revolve around redistributing powers within governing institutions, primarily reducing the president's powers to enhance institutional balance.

The absence of major opposition forces

Despite the momentum the coalition is trying to create, its influence remains limited in the absence of the most prominent opposition parties, most notably Chadema and ACT-Wazalendo.

Chadema is demanding the release of its leader Tundu Lissu and a number of its leaders, along with reform of the electoral commission, while ACT-Wazalendo is taking a more reserved stance towards engaging in the bloc.

Two-year deadline and a new constitution

The coalition calls for the adoption of a new constitution within two years, based on the recommendations of inquiry committees formed after the events of the 2025 elections. The coalition includes parties such as the Democratic Party, the National League for Democracy and the Democratic Unity Party, formations that face repeated accusations of being close to the government.

Controversy over the reform mechanism

Political actors do not disagree on the importance of reform, but the disagreement revolves around the mechanism of implementation: Should the process resume from where it left off in 2015, or should a completely new formulation begin? The most prominent question also remains: Who will set the rules for this process?.

Doubts and defensive stances

This move raises doubts among some observers in Tanzania about the credibility of the coalition, considering that some of its components may be close to the government. However, political analyst Thomas Kibwana denies the existence of evidence of these parties being close to the government, considering that the limited influence of these parties contradicts the hypothesis of their support from the ruling party, and that their continued activity after the elections represents a remarkable shift in political behavior within the country, which has been accustomed to the emergence of political parties only during election periods.