Constitutional Discord and Division in Tanzania: The Breakdown of the Government of National Unity in Zanzibar

Abstract:This article explores the effects of the Tanzanian constitutional review process undertaken from 2011 to 2015 by Zanzibar's government of national unity (GNU), which was operative between 2010 and 2015. Central to this analysis is the historicity of constitutionalism in Tanzania and political antagonism and violence in Zanzibar. The reconciliation agreement of 2009 brought relative stability to the isles; however, the start of the constitutional review process led the GNU partners to take opposite stands on key issues of the union framework and Zanzibar autonomy, rekindling identity distinctions and deep-rooted enmity. This discourse, together with other proximate factors, explains the withering of the reconciliatory spirit within Zanzibar's unity government during the constitutional review process, leading ultimately to the collapse of the process and the discontinuation of the GNU. As it was expected that the aborted constitutional review process would be resumed after the 2020 elections, the lessons learned from the first phase of the process will be vital to understanding its possible completion.