| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Bunge / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
31 October 2010 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all elective seats of Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The 2010 polls were the fourth to be held since the country introduced multi-party politics in 1992. Parliament was dissolved on 1 August 2010 by virtue of Presidential Order No. 272, which paved the way for general elections to take place on 31 October. They were held in parallel with presidential elections.
In the previous elections held in December 2005, the ruling Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (CCM) swept 206 of the 232 directly elected seats. Four opposition parties won a total of 26 seats: 19 for the Civic United Front (CUF), five for the Party for Democracy and Development (Chadema) and one each for the Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP). In the presidential elections, the CCM candidate, Mr. Jakaya Kikwete, was elected with more than 80 per cent of the votes.
Although President Kikwete was elected on an anti-corruption ticket, his administration came under criticism due to several corruption scandals. In February 2008, Prime Minister Edward Lowassa and two ministers resigned over allegations of awarding a contract to a ghost US electricity company. Other former ministers were facing court cases concerning a contract to audit gold production in the country.
In 2010, 16 parties fielded candidates for the 239 directly elected seats (up from 232). The main contenders in the 2010 elections included the CCM, Chadema and the CUF.
Seven candidates were running in the presidential race. President Kikwete's main rivals were Mr. Wilbrod Slaa (Chadema), a former Roman Catholic priest, and Mr. Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF), a former World Bank economist who was making his fourth bid for the presidency.
The major issues in 2010 included the water supply, health services, education and the fight against corruption.
All three major parties identified sustainable water supply among the top priorities to be implemented in their first two years of office. The ruling CCM ran on the government's record, underscoring that President Kikwete's Administration had improved the water supply. It claimed that in 2009 58.3 per cent of inhabitants in rural areas and 80.3 per cent of people in urban areas had access to clean water. President Kikwete pledged to continue his efforts if given a second term. Chadema promised to allocate more funds to the water sector. The CUF argued that the water situation in the country for both domestic and industrial use was still very poor. Its presidential candidate, Lipumba, said that he would review all water supply schemes in the country and introduce new ones with imported technologies.
On other leading issues, President Kikwete's CCM pledged to improve education facilities and reduce poverty. It also promised to build more health facilities and transportation infrastructure, including roads and railways. Chadema and the CUF ran on similar platforms and pledged to tackle corruption, accusing the CCM of not taking adequate anti-corruption measures.
Around 43 per cent of the 19.7 million registered voters turned out at the polls. Voting took place smoothly in most polling stations, although the late arrival of ballot papers and problems related to the voters' roll were reported in some polling stations.
The final results showed some progress for the opposition parties. The CCM took 186 of the 239 seats at stake, down from 206 recorded in 2005. Chadema increased its share from five to 23 and the CUF took 24 seats, up from 19. The remaining seats went to small parties.
Several cabinet ministers lost to Chadema candidates. Chadema's newly elected candidates included Mr. Vincent Nyerere, a nephew of Tanzania's first post-independence president, Julius Nyerere. Mr. Salum Khalfani Bar'wani (CUF) became the first albino (see note) to be elected to the Tanzanian Parliament.
In the presidential election, President Kikwete (CCM) was re-elected for a second and final term with 61 per cent of the votes.
On 12 November, the newly elected parliament held its first session. Ms. Anne Makinda (CCM) was elected as its new Speaker, becoming the first woman to assume the post.
Note:
Albinos have been discriminated against in many African countries. In Tanzania, many have been killed by witch doctors who believe that charms made from their body parts bring good luck. In April 2008, President Kikwete had nominated Ms. Al Shaymaa Kwegyir, making her the first albino member of Parliament, in a nationwide effort to eliminate discrimination against albinos. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 31 October 2010 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
20'137'303
7'952'497 (39.49%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Directly elected |
Women seats |
Appointed/Zanzibar |
|
| Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (CCM) |
259
|
186 |
67 |
6 |
|
| Chadema (Party for Democracy and Development) |
48
|
23 |
25 |
0 |
|
| Civic United Front (CUF) |
36
|
24 |
10 |
2 |
|
| NCCR-Mageuzi |
4
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
| United Democratic Party (UDP) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Tanzania Labour Party (TLP) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
| Others |
1
|
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
224
126
36.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Note on the distribution of seats:
- 'Appointed/Zanzibar' refers to members appointed by the President and five members from Zanzibar.
- 'Others': refers to the Attorney General.
Note on the Distribution of seats according to sex:
As at 16 February 2011, there are 350 members of whom 126 are women.
Seven additional members can be appointed by the President.
Breakdown for 126 women:
- 21 were elected from constituencies;
- 102 were elected under special seats for women;
- Two women (of five members) from Zanzibar;
- One appointed member. |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
