CCM Could Rule Tanzania Forever But For the Enemy Within
Eric Mwakibete
The biggest threat to CCM ’ s continued political domination is the CCM itself .
Photo from Wikipedia
Tanzania ’ s former president Dr John Magufuli once claimed that his party , the Chama cha Mapinduzi ( CCM ), will rule forever because there is just no other alternative . To the same effect , CCM leaders from Zanzibar have , in the past , made more audacious statements , especially during election campaigns . The CCM , which was formed after Tanganyika African National Union ( TANU ) and Afro-Shirazi Party ( ASP ) merged in February 1977 , has ruled Tanzania since Tanganyika ’ s independence in 1961 and the 1964 revolution in Zanzibar . That makes the CCM the oldest incumbent ruling party on the continent , only second to the Unity Party ( UP ), which ruled Liberia for 102 years . However , changing voters ’ demographics , the failure to preserve the party ’ s identity and intra-party rivalries are factors that could change the status quo if not properly managed .
Failure to preserve the party ’ s identity
Mwalimu Nyerere once equated CCM with one of the worst types of illegal fishing nets , common in the Lake Zone , which is so destructive because it carries everything in its path . Mwalimu ’ s indictment came
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