xxxii. By the end of the seventies, the Party had established the requisite institutions and structures to assert itself as the supreme organ of the state. The introduction of the one-party state further consolidated and centralised power within the ruling party. To form a sole ruling party in both parts of the Union, Nyerere merged TANU with the ruling ASP in Zanzibar to form the CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi or Revolutionary Party), on 5 February 1977. This was ratified in the new Constitution of 1977. The merger was reinforced by principles enunciated in the 1982 Union Constitution and reaffirmed in the Constitution of 1984. xxxiii. As the sole legal political party for all of Tanzania, the CCM role was to direct the population in all significant political and economic activities and changes. In practice, Party and State were one. However, the economic crisis and the Economy Recovery Programme (ERP) – Tanzania’s structural adjustment programme – eroded some of the ruling party’s powers. Indeed, as Meena (2008) observes, the signing of the structural adjustment agreement between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Tanzania in 1986 was a major landmark in the country’s political history. xxxiv. The second set of reforms from the international financial institutions (IFIs) included ‘liberalising’ politics, in line with a market-driven economy. Thus, IMF/World Bank conditions included, among other things, liberalising the political system to reflect the redefined role of the state in creating a regulatory and legal environment supportive of a market-driven economy. Pluralist politics were favoured as they were considered to be supportive of the doctrine of a ’free’ market economy. xxxv. President Nyerere stepped down from office in October 1985. Ali Hassan Mwinyi, his Vice President, succeeded him. In 1990 President Ali Hassan Mwinyi appointed the Nyalali Commission to seek the population’s views about a multi-party system. Although the majority preferred a one-party state, the commission recommended the establishment of a multi-party system. In October 1995, Tanzania’s first multi-party elections since independence were held. xxxvi. Self-governing Zanzibar (3.0 per cent of Tanzania’s population) was long the tempestuous exception to Mainland Tanzania’s peaceful politics. Serious irregularities and sporadic violence marred every election in Zanzibar since 1964. However, after years of abortive negotiations, the Civic United Front (CUF) - the main opposition party - and the ruling party were able to reach a power-sharing agreement. The outcome of the 31 July 2010 referendum set the stage for peaceful general elections. The power-sharing deal eliminated the winner-take-all system, giving the losing side one of two vice presidential slots and ministerial positions in proportion to seats held in the House of Representatives. xxxvii. The state engineered and, to a large extent, controlled the process that led to a multi-party government in Tanzania. Being a state-engineered transition, just like else where on the continent, the pace has not been as fast as some would have wished, causing some to interprete this as a reluctance on the part of, the state to rewrite the political rules so that other actors may participate freely and fairly. This slow pace is often noticed in the area of rights protection and promotion, media freedom and the openess of the political system to free and fair competition. xxxviii. Although successful multi-party elections were held in 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010, multi-party politics are still dominated by the elite and at times translates into elite power struggles. Although civil society actors, including the youth, women’s movements, religious organisations, and the media, have found entry points to influence the process, their influence remains limited. While the media has the potential to challenge the elite’s control over the transition, it remains very vulnerable to repressive forces within the current political environment. Economic Transformation xxxix. In the course of the last five decades, Tanzania’s political economy went through dramatic changes, characterised by shifts from a mixed market economy up to the mid-1960s, to a socialist-oriented economy following the Arusha Declaration in 1967. After 1985 came a shift towards a market-oriented and private sector-led economy. These changes had a tremendous impact on Tanzanian society and governance systems. Some of the changes are still controversial and their impact, the subject of popular public discourse. 5