The single party system of government and the dynamics of political succession in Africa: notes on the Tanzanian model

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Periodical article

Title:	The single party system of government and the dynamics of political succession in Africa: notes on the Tanzanian model
Author:	Mulikita, M. Njunga
Year:	1989
Periodical:	Internationales Afrikaforum
Volume:	25
Issue:	4
Pages:	345-350
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Tanzania
Subjects:	one-party systems presidential elections
Abstract:	The gist of this article is that most African States have progressively bestowed extraordinary power on the person occupying the presidency. This excessive concentration of executive power leads to a situation where the person occupying the presidency, especially if he possesses charismatic qualities, becomes the principal guarantee of national cohesion and political stability. If this person should abruptly disappear from the political landscape, it could become all too clear that the country's constitutional arrangements are ill equipped to deal with a crisis of succession. The devolution of power in Tanzania from former President Julius Nyerere to current President Ali Hassan Mwinyi is discussed as a model of regular succession that could be used by other countries with a single party system. Notes, ref.