The Symptoms of the Shift towards an Authoritarian State in Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli’s rule

Authors

  • Emilia Bamwenda University of Wrocław

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.15.2018.56.08

Keywords:

John P. Magufuli, political party, Tanzania, authoritarianism, political changes

Abstract

In the early 1990s, political changes in Tanzania led to political liberalization and the reintroduction of formal democratic institutional structures. Political pluralism was established under the control of the ruling party of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), which gave it the opportunity to maintain state power, stability within the party and to establish limitations in terms of systemic changes. However, the party’s hegemony was shaken during the last presidential election, where only a slight majority (58%) was won by CCM’s candidate John P. Magufuli. From the moment of taking office as President, he began to implement his electoral postulates. In 2016, Magufuli was appointed the world’s best president by United National Economic and Social Council for tightening and reducing public sector spending. There is no doubt that during the two and a half years of rule, Magufuli introduced significant changes in the governance structures and lives of Tanzanian people. However, his recent methods of governing the state seem to ignore basic human rights, women’s rights, freedom of speech and the press, the independence of courts and respect for the multi-party system in the country.

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Author Biography

  • Emilia Bamwenda, University of Wrocław

    PhD student at the Institute of International Relations at the University of Wrocław. A graduate of master’s studies in International Relations and graduate European Studies at the University of Wrocław. She specializes in development aid, economic policy and development economics of East African countries with special interest in Tanzania’s social and economic development. Her interests also include regional integration of East Africa and the subject of migration. In order to explore the research area, she went on numerous study trips to Tanzania. She shared her researches at international and national conferences, both scientific and commercial. She is an analyst at the Invest Africa portal aiming to bring the business environment in Africa to Polish investors. She is a member of the Council of PhD Students and the Peer Court in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Wroclaw and the PhD Council of the University of Wroclaw.

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Published

25-07-2018

How to Cite

“The Symptoms of the Shift towards an Authoritarian State in Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli’s Rule”. 2018. Politeja 15 (5(56): 123-50. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.15.2018.56.08.

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