Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM)
혁명당 (탄자니아)
The ruling party of Tanzania, formed on 5 February 1977 by the merger of the mainland Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) and the Afro-Shirazi Party of Zanzibar. It was the only legal party until 1992 and, even after multi-party politics returned, has won every presidential election and supplied every president of the Union and of Zanzibar. For many years it followed the line of Ujamaa and self-reliance.
In depth
According to the Swahili source, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) was formed on 5 February 1977 by the merger of the mainland TANU, led by Julius Nyerere, and the Afro-Shirazi Party of Zanzibar. The merger was meant to strengthen solidarity between the mainland and the islands and to create a single party to lead the United Republic in the one-party era. According to the English source it was the only legal party from 1977 to 1992, and every five years its national chairman was automatically nominated for president and confirmed by referendum.
For many years the party followed the line of Ujamaa and self-reliance, given policy force by the Arusha Declaration of 1967, under which the economy was placed in public hands and communal life in Ujamaa villages was stressed. The English source says that today the party espouses a mixed economic approach and has been described as authoritarian.
After multi-party politics was reintroduced on 1 July 1992, the party won every presidential election from 1995 onwards and kept its parliamentary majority, though the opposition raised complaints about fairness and vote-rigging. Its chairmen have been Julius Nyerere (1977–1990), Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1990–1996), Benjamin Mkapa (1996–2006), Jakaya Kikwete (2006–2016), John Magufuli (2016–2021) and Samia Suluhu Hassan (2021– ).