The role of political ideas in multi-party elections in Tanzania: Refuting essentialist explanations of African political systems

This article is a contribution to the criticism of neo-patrimonial and 'hybridregime' explanations of the capacity of dominant parties to retain political control in Africa (which rest on essentialist views of African society) and to the broader discussion of the nature of African democracy. It analyses the election manifestoes of Tanzania's dominant party, Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), from the beginning of the multi-party era in 1995, contextualised in a discussion of political events and external perceptions of the party. The article examines the emphasis that CCM has placed on the use of political ideas and on its responsiveness to public opinion, rather than using the manipulation of elections and other non-democratic political practices, as would be predicted by neo-patrimonial theory. It is argued that CCM used political ideas to hold on to popular support from the beginning of the multi-party era to the 2010 elections, during which period its popularity has fluctuated, while the democratic standards that applied to the running of elections and other aspects of political life in Tanzania have continued to improve.