Tanzania's CCM: Is the Benign Hegemony Crumbling?

The document examines the challenges facing Tanzania's long-dominant CCM party, including systemic corruption, internal power struggles over the 2015 succession, and increasing pressure for constitutional reform. While the party remains the dominant political force, it has seen a decline in President Jakaya Kikwete's approval ratings and a statistical rise in opposition strength, particularly from the Chadema party. The analysis highlights the party's efforts to rebrand and restructure to maintain legitimacy, while noting ongoing tensions between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

• The CCM party is struggling with a declining public image due to widespread corruption and graft, which has led to the dismissal of six ministers in May 2012 and a reduction in funding pledges from donor countries.
• President Jakaya Kikwete's personal approval rating dropped from 90% in 2008 to 71% in 2012, reflecting diminishing public confidence in his leadership.
• Opposition strength is growing, specifically the Chadema party, which increased its presidential vote share from 5.88% in 2005 to 27.1% in 2010 and secured 44 National Assembly seats.
• There are significant political tensions between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, where youth radicalisation and anti-government protests have been driven by poverty, unemployment, and perceived political marginalisation.
• To address legitimacy issues and internal wrangles, President Kikwete initiated a party restructuring process in 2010 and established a Constitutional Review Commission in June 2012 to draft a new constitution via referendum by October 2013.

APA

Lewela, M., & Kisiangani, E. (2012). Tanzania's CCM: Is the Benign Hegemony Crumbling? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tanzanias-ccm-is-the-benign-hegemony-crumbling

Chicago

Lewela, Mashaka, and Emmanuel Kisiangani. Tanzania's CCM: Is the Benign Hegemony Crumbling? Institute for Security Studies, 2012. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tanzanias-ccm-is-the-benign-hegemony-crumbling.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lewela |first1=Mashaka |last2=Kisiangani |first2=Emmanuel |title=Tanzania's CCM: Is the Benign Hegemony Crumbling? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 November 2012 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tanzanias-ccm-is-the-benign-hegemony-crumbling |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lewela2012tanzanias, author = {Lewela, Mashaka and Kisiangani, Emmanuel}, title = {{Tanzania's CCM: Is the Benign Hegemony Crumbling?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2012}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tanzanias-ccm-is-the-benign-hegemony-crumbling}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }