Government of Tanzania
Long Conventional Name
United Republic of Tanzania
Short Conventional Name
Tanzania
Long Local Name
Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
Short Local Name
Tanzania
Government Type
Republic
Capital City
Dar es Salaam
Administrative Divisions
26 regions: Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West.
Independence Day
Sunday, 26th April 1964
Constitutional History
25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984
Legal System
Based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
Chief of State
President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005)
Head of Government
President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005)
Cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly.
Elections
President and vice president elected on the same ballot by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 December 2005(next to be held in December 2010); prime minister appointed by the president.
Legislative Branch
Unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms).
Judical Branch
Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court (consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts; Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the higher courts).
Flag Description
Divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue.
