Tanzania 1977
In 1977 the Interim Constitution of Tanzania, created at independence in 1965 and substantially amended in 1975, was repealed to give way to a new constitution. The Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania of 1977 was drafted in response to tensions within the federation and served to reaffirm the supremacy accorded to the socialist parties of Zanzibar and the mainland. These parties, whose ruling status had been consolidated under the 1975 amendments, held extensive discussions in party branches across the country over a year-long period. These efforts culminated in a joint conference of the parties on January 21, 1977. The 2442 delegates who participated in this day-long conference reached agreement on initial text for the new constitution, and established grounds for the amalgamation of the two parties into a single socialist party (Chama cha Mapinduzi, CCM). The merger became official on February 5, 1977. Meanwhile, the constitutional text that had been developed in these party meetings was presented to the legislature in the form of a bill. After a one-day discussion, the legislature adopted the new constitution on April 25, 1977. The new constitution went into effect immediately.
Considerable effort was put towards ensuring that debates about proposed changes were organized across the country. Because the party remained in control throughout the process, however, the full scope of public participation is unclear. In addition to further solidifying socialist party control, the new constitution increased the number of nominated MPs in the legislature from 111 to 128 which gave them the majority in a legislature of 239 members. Later amendments (in 1984) would reduce the number of nominated MPs to 73. Also in 1977, ten additional seats were created in the national assembly to accommodate added representation for Zanzibar.
Despite this gesture of party unity, tensions between Zanzibar and the mainland continued. Fears about the islands’ autonomy, combined with popular discord related to the stagnant economy of the early 1980s contributed to the decision to add a bill of rights to this constitution in 1984.