Start date April 30, 2015 | Location Tanzania | |
A constitutional referendum was planned to be held in Tanzania on 30 April 2015. However, delays to voter registration led to it being postponed.
Contents
Background
In 2012 a Constitutional Review Commission was established to seek public opinion on a review of the constitution. It delivered a first draft to President Jakaya Kikwete on 30 December 2013. The next stage was the creation of a Constituent Assembly consisting of MPs, members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives and more than 200 members of the public nominated by the President and the Zanzibari President Ali Mohamed Shein.
In April 2014 the three major opposition parties walked out of the Assembly, claiming their suggestions for reform were being ignored.
In June 2016, the country's newly elected President, John Pombe Magufuli announced that his government will ensure that the constitutional referendum is accomplished while praising his predecessor for successfully initiating it. The National Electoral Commission's (NEC) Chairman (retired) Judge Damian Lubuva had also announced that the referendum process will resume by reviewing the Constitutional Referendum Act, 2013, after which, a date for the referendum will be officially announced by both the NEC and it's Zanzibari counterpart ZEC.
Judge Lubuva maintained that NEC had suspended the referendum process pending unaccomplished voters registration process and the 2015 general elections.
Proposed changes
The proposed new constitution includes: