From the year 2000 onwards, Tanzania has been one of the so-called good performers among the least developed countries and it is one of the main partners of Finnish development cooperation. Development has been positive with regards to economic and social development, poverty reduction as well as governance reforms, although the pace and equal distribution still remain as challenges. Internal social and political change has been remarkable and at the moment it is difficult to estimate what direction the development of democracy, openness and accountability will take in the future. At least after the electing of President Kikwete in 2005, the fight against corruption has escalated.

The United Republic of Tanzania was found in 1964 and it consists of mainland (Tanganyika got independence in 1961) and the island of Zanzibar. Tanzania adopted a multi-party political system in 1995 and in November 1995 elected Benjamin Mkapa from Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) as the President. In December 2005, both presidential and parliamentary elections were held. The former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was elected as the new President with over 80 per cent of votes and the ruling party CCM got 70 per cent of the votes in the parliamentary elections. The opposition is very weak and fragmented and their support has fallen from 20 per cent in 2000, to about 10 per cent in 2005. Next presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in October 2010.

Tanzania is still one of the poorest countries in the world and heavily indebted. About 42 per cent of the national budget comes from international donors. However, on the other hand, economic development has been fast and the GNP has increased more than in any other country in Southern Africa, in 2007 more than 7 per cent annually.

Violent conflicts and internal crisis in neighbouring countries have brought masses of refuges to Tanzania, but otherwise the country has remained peaceful. In the end of 2002, Tanzania hosted about 370 000 refugees from Burundi and about 140 000 from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The reconciliation agreement of Tanzania’s own problem, Zanzibar, most commonly know as muafaka, was signed in 2001 and the elections in 2005 were more peaceful than before. However, the state of democracy in Zanzibar remains questionable.

More background information on the political system of Tanzania can be found behind the following links:

National Website of the United Republic of Tanzania

"Politics of Tanzania" in Wikipedia