Political and Government Structures in Zanzibar Report

Introduction

Zanzibar is an autonomous region of Tanzania located on several islands of the Zanzibar archipelago. Historically Zanzibar existed under the control of different countries, including the Portuguese empire, Osman empire, and British Empire ¹. Zanzibarian people were ruled by foreigners for a long time. In the twentieth century, the country was divided along ethnic lines when Arabs remained the ruling class and possessed most land and wealth. In 1964, the African population raised against Arabs, and after the bloody revolution, Zanzibar cooperated with Tanganyika to achieve political independence². The union of these two states created the United Republic of Tanzania³. However, political and racial violence continued over the next fifty years until 2010, when national unity was created as the result of an inter-elite pact⁴. In the modern days, Zanzibar exists as an autonomous state with its own two-house government and president.

Government Structures

Since Zanzibar is an autonomous part of Tanzania, it has its own government, which is called the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. The government includes the Revolutionary Council and a House of Representatives⁵. Fifty people in the House of Representatives are directly elected from the districts, ten are appointed by the president, and fifteen are politicians from the ruling party⁶. Still, the federal government of Tanzania decides on many issues regarding foreign policy, economics, and financing without consulting with Zanzibar.

Zanzibar is a federalist state ruled by the president and the Revolutionary Council. The latter includes first and second vice-presidents, fifteen ministers, and additional members who can be nominated by the president, who is elected every five years⁷. Zanzibar has two vice-presidents because they come from the main political parties in the government of national unity. Zanzibar has a multiparty system, but the two largest parties in the country are Chama Cha Mapinduzi and the Civic United Front⁸. The rivalry between these parties led to violent and bloody clashes and conflicts in the early 2000s; therefore, in 2010, the Constitution was amended⁹. Changes allowed parties to consolidate into a government of national unity. The alliance of these parties has become the new permanent leadership of the country, preventing the opposition from gaining power. It integrates all oppositional views; thus, if any party passes the second stage of the elections, it must join the coalition government.

Zanzibar’s Current Political State

Zanzibar authorities are confident that the alliance with Tanganyika is beneficial, but many citizens want more independence from the federal government. The presence of a common currency and one central bank brings investment to Zanzibar from Tanzania. Many institutions, including law enforcement, are financed by the United Republic of Tanzania. The authorities claim Zanzibar itself would not be able to sustain all crucial government structures, leading to unrest in society. However, citizens of this autonomous state want to increase Zanzibar’s independence to reach economic prosperity.¹⁰. Many people call for the union’s reform to attain a partnership with the federal government rather than exploitation.

Conclusion

In summary, Zanzibar is a small federalist autonomous part of the union with Tanganyika, forming the Republic of Tanzania. Although this region’s history was known to be primarily ruled by foreigners or divided by the local elites in the past, it has its own two-house government, a multiparty system, and a president nowadays. Still, Zanzibar is not an independent country; thus, many of its people ask for a revision of the terms of the alliance with Tanzania because they want more political and economic sovereignty.

Bibliography

Cameron, Greg. “Zanzibar in the Tanzania Union.” In Secessionism in African Politics, edited by Lotje de Vries, Pierre Englebert, and Mareike Schomerus, 179-205. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

Footnotes

• 1 Cameron, Greg. “Zanzibar in the Tanzania Union.” Secessionism in African Politics, ed. Lotje de Vries, Pierre Englebert, and Mareike Schomerus (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), 181.
• 2 Cameron, 180.
• 3 Cameron, 179.
• 4 Cameron, 196.
• 5 Cameron, 187
• 6 Cameron, 181.
• 7 Cameron, 196.
• 8 Cameron, 193.
• 9 Cameron, Greg. “Zanzibar in the Tanzania Union.” Secessionism in African Politics, ed. Lotje de Vries, Pierre Englebert, and Mareike Schomerus (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), 195.
• 10 Cameron, 202.