ELECTION OF A VICE-PRESIDENT
Prime Minister Malecela has announced that the two governments had agreed on a solution to another controversial matter which had led to a heated debate in Parliament in February and on which the Government had requested more time for study. In future there would be only one Vice-President instead of two. He/she would be the running mate of the successful Presidential candidate.
THE UNION
The Union remains an issue dividing the new political parties which are outside Parliament. The Rev Christopher Mtikila, Chairman of the as yet unrecognised Democratic Party is in favour of the splitting up of the Union and letting Zanzibar go its own way. CHADEMA is in favour of continuing the Union and possibly adopting the three-government approach as the best way to save it. The leading party in Zanzibar the CUF is also in favour of a continuation of the Union.
The National Electoral Commission has responded to representations from opposition parties and postponed the local government elections scheduled for 1993 to 1994 to give more time for preparations.
Mwalimu Nyerere commented that when he took stock of the political state of affairs in Tanzania “I don’t see any other party (than the CCM)”. The CCM publicity Secretary said that the party’s rising membership now totals 3.5 million. Prime Minister Malecela, at a meeting with representatives of CHADEMA, said that the government would seriously investigate allegations of CCM harassment of opposition parties.
CHADEMA leader Edwin Mtei has said that his party stands for the capitalist road of development, the conversion of National Service camps into vocational training centres, a radical reduction in the size of the army and abandonment of the project to move the capital to Dodoma.
On July 27th the Government issued a statement saying that former Cabinet Minister Oscar Kambona, the leader of TADEA, had finally had his Tanzanian citizenship confirmed ‘on historical, circumstantial and humanitarian grounds’. As Mr Kambona had indicated that he wished for reconciliation with the government, CCM and other national leaders the past should be forgotten and a new chapter opened.
Hilary Mapunda’s Liberal Democratic Party has been dissolved.
Representatives of eight opposition parties walked out of the Arusha International Conference Centre hall when Zanzibar President Salmin Amour started his opening speech. They claimed that they had no quarrel with the CCM but that the Zanzibar President was dictator and was suppressing the CUP opposition. On his return to Zanzibar the President attended a large CCM welcome home rally.
According to ‘Baraza’ (April 1993) Moslems in Tanzania would form a political party if the Rev. Mtikila’s Democratic Party were to be granted full registration.