‘New constitution commitment remains intact’

DAR ES SALAAM: THE ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has said the party remains committed to restarting the constitutional reform process in the near future, saying national reconciliation must come first to create a conducive environment for meaningful dialogue.

CCM Vice-Chairperson for Mainland, Mr Stephen Wasira said yesterday while closing a two-day Tanzania Centre for Democracy (TCD) national conference, where political parties and other stakeholders reflected on the country’s post-election political situation and discussed the way forward. He officially closed the conference on behalf of the TCD Chairperson Dorothy Semu.

Mr Wasira said the commitment to a new Constitution remains intact, but the events that followed the 2025 General Election, including loss of lives and destruction of property, made it difficult to immediately resume constitutional discussions as earlier envisaged.

“The intention to write the Constitution remains unchanged. It would have been difficult to immediately call people to begin discussing constitutional matters while the country was still dealing with the consequences of the political situation,” he said.

Mr Wasira said the planned formation of a national reconciliation panel would be an important step towards broader national dialogue and eventually pave the way for continuation of the constitutional reform process.

He said the country already has substantial groundwork for constitutional reforms, including citizens’ views collected during previous consultations and the proposed Constitution, arguing that the next phase should build on existing work rather than begin entirely from scratch.

“You cannot simply discard the existing Constitution and begin a completely new draft,” he said. Instead, he said, the country should identify weaknesses in the current constitutional framework while taking into account proposals and concerns previously raised by different stakeholders.

Mr Wasira described the TCD conference as an important beginning in bringing together Tanzanians from different backgrounds to discuss the country’s future. He said recommendations from the conference would be submitted to the government through TCD, with proposals requiring immediate action expected to be addressed in the short term, while medium- and long-term recommendations would be implemented progressively.

“The intention is to bring reconciliation and ensure that Tanzanians agree that this country belongs to all of them,” he said.

He added that reconciliation should not be viewed as an agreement between CCM and individual opposition parties, but as a broader national process involving all groups of Tanzanians.

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“A consensus on an issue concerning Tanzania must come from the different groups of Tanzanians,” he said, adding that those not yet ready to participate in dialogue would be given time because reconciliation cannot be achieved in a single day.

Former Chama Cha Ukombozi wa Umma (CHAUMMA) presidential candidate in the 2025 General Election, Mr Salum Mwalimu, urged political parties and other stakeholders to resolve the country’s political challenges through dialogue.

He cited Zanzibar as an example where leaders have continued engaging despite persistent political challenges.

“Zanzibar still faces political difficulties but has made significant progress because leaders have demonstrated willingness to engage and discuss solutions,” he said.

A C T – W a z a l e n d o Vice-Chairperson for Zanzibar, Mr Ismail Jussa, challenged the notion that Tanzania requires foreign mediators to achieve meaningful political reconciliation.

He said the 2001 political agreement and the dialogue that laid the foundation for the historic reconciliation process of 2009 and 2010 were negotiated and managed by Tanzanians, arguing that the country should build on its own experience through inclusive, locally owned dialogue.

CCM Deputy Secretary-General for Mainland, Mr Aggrey Mwanri, said discussions during the conference showed encouraging signs that stakeholders are prepared to pursue reconciliation and build national consensus. “No one can reject calls for peace, stability and sitting together for dialogue,” he said.