During the period 1st May to 9th December 1961 the Governor continued to be responsible for Defence and External Affairs. On 1st May 1961 Mr Nyerere, formerly Chief Minister, became the country's first Prime Minister, at the head of a Cabinet of 12. On the same day the Legislative Council was re-named the National Assembly, its composition remaining unchanged. The post of Deputy Governor was abolished from 1st July 1961. In June 1961 the Tanganyika National Assembly unanimously passed a motion asking other member governments of the Commonwealth to join with the British Government in supporting Tanganyika's desire to become a Member of the Commonwealth. All Commonwealth Governments agreed to this and Tanganyika became a Member of the Commonwealth on achieving independence on the 9th December 1961. At the same time the Trusteeship Agreement was terminated by the United Nations. On 15th February 1962 the Tanganyika National Assembly unanimously adopted a government motion that the Constitution be amended to provide for Tanganyika to become a Republic within the Commonwealth. At the Meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers held in London on 10th September 1962 the Prime Minister of Tanganyika was informed by the Heads of Delegations of the other member countries of the Commonwealth that the present relations between their countries and Tanganyika would remain unaffected by this constitutional change and that they would be happy to recognise Tanganyika's continued membership of the Commonwealth. The Republic of Tanganyika was inaugurated on the 9th December 1962. Its Constitution provided for a President who was executive Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; he was empowered to appoint a Vice-President and Ministers of his Cabinet, though he was not bound to act on their advice. The first President, Mr Nyerere, was directly elected by universal suffrage. The Constitution provided for the election of subsequent Presidents by the National Assembly at five-yearly intervals or on the dissolution of Parliament. ZANZIBAR CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT On 1st July 1913 the control of Zanzibar passed from the Foreign Office to the Colonial Office, and by a Zanzibar Order in Council of 1914 the offices of British Consul-General and the Sultan's First Minister were merged in the newly-created post of British Resident, who was appointed, subject to the control of the Governor of the British East Africa Protectorate, as High Commissioner. A Protectorate Council was constituted as an advisory body with the Sultan as President and the British Resident as Vice-President. In 1925 the office of High Commissioner was abolished and the British Resident was made directly responsible to the Colonial Office. Executive and Legislative Councils were constituted in 1926 in place of the old advisory Protectorate Council. In 1960, following recommendations made by Sir Hilary Blood who had been appointed Constitutional Commissioner, a degree of responsible government was granted. Elected Ministers, one of whom was Chief Minister, formed the majority in the Executive Council, and in the Legislative Council there was a large elected majority. In 1962 the franchise was extended to provide for universal adult suffrage, and a Delimitation Commission recommended an increase in the number of elected members in the Legislative Council. On 24th June 1963 internal selfgovernment was introduced. After a General Election in July a Government was formed from a coalition between the Zanzibar Nationalist Party and the Zanzibar and Pemba People's Party, which had won a majority of seats (though not of votes) over the Afro-Shirazi Party headed by Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume. At the Independence Conference held in London in September 1963 arrangements were agreed for the final transfer of power, and Zanzibar attained full sovereign independence on 10th December 1963 under the Sultan as Head of State. Establishment of The People's Republic of Zanzibar On 12th January 1964 the Sultan's Government was overthrown by a sudden internal uprising. Zanzibar was proclaimed a People's Republic, with Mr Karume as President. The former constitution was abrogated, but other existing laws continued in force. A Revolutionary Council of 32 members was declared the Supreme Authority in the Republic. A Cabinet of Ministers was appointed to exercise executive power on behalf of, and with the advice of, the Revolutionary Council. Under a Presidential Decree made in February 1964 the Revolutionary Council was to enact constitutional Decrees which were to form the basic law of the Republic, and a Constituent Assembly was to be convened to consider these basic provisions which, after having received the Assembly's assent, were to be the Constitution of Zanzibar. A further Presidential Decree of 11th May 1965 established the Afro-Shirazi Party as the sole party and supreme authority in Zanzibar. UNION OF TANGANYIKA AND ZANZIBAR After meetings between President Nyerere and President Karume it was decided that Tanganyika and Zanzibar should form one Sovereign State. Articles of Union were signed on 22nd April 1964 and on 25th April 1964 legislation ratifying these Articles was enacted by both the Tanganyika Parliament and the Revolutionary Council of Zanzibar. By this legislation the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar was created as a single sovereign state, as from 26th April 1964, under President Nyerere. President Karume was declared 1st Vice-President of the United Republic, while retaining the style of President of Zanzibar as head of the separate Legislature and Executive for Zanzibar. There were 18 members from Zanzibar in the National Assembly of the United Republic and some of these became Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries in the United Republic Government. The legislation provided for an interim constitution which laid down that the United Republic should be governed in accordance with the provisions of the existing Tanganyika Constitution suitably modified to provide for a separate Legislature and Executive in Zanzibar with exclusive authority over matters other than reserved matters. Reserved matters were: external affairs; defence; police; emergency powers; citizenship; immigration; external trade and borrowing; The Public Service of the United Republic; income tax, corporation tax, customs and excise duties; harbours, civil aviation, posts and telegraphs. The main subjects which remained within the competence of the Zanzibar Government and for which there were separate ministries or departments included agriculture and fisheries; education and national culture; health and social insurance; information and broadcasting; labour; prisons; roads, power, works and justice. The United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar became the United Republic of Tanzania on 29th October 1964. On 5th July 1965 the National Assembly passed the Interim Constitution Act which formally declared Tanzania to be a one-party state. A revised TANU constitution formed the first schedule of the Act, which looked forward to the union of TANU and the Afro-Shirazi party. By the Interim Constitution Act the National Assembly was enlarged and consisted of 107 members elected from the Mainland, 15 elected by the Assembly itself, 17 Regional Commissioners from the Mainland and 3 from Zanzibar, up to 32 members of the Zanzibar Revolutionary Council, up to 10 Mainland residents chosen by the President and up to 20 Zanzibar residents similarly chosen. Zanzibar appointments require the approval of the President of Zanzibar. The number of constituencies was increased to 120 for the 1970 General Elections. HISTORICAL LIST TANGANYIKA GOVERNOR-GENERAL Sir Richard Turnbull, KCMG (later GCMG), 9th December 1961 to 8th December 1962 PRIME MINISTERS Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, 9th December 1961 to 22nd January 1962 PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TANGANYIKA Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, 9th December 1962 to 25th April 1964 ZANZIBAR His Highness Seyyid Jamshid bin Abdulla, 10th December 1963 to 11th January 1964 PRIME MINISTER Sheikh Mohammed Shamte Hamedi, MBE, 10th December 1963 to 18th January 1964 PRESIDENT OF People's Republic of Zanzibar Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, 12th January 1964 to 25th April 1964 UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANGANYIKA AND Zanzibar PRESIDENT Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, from 26th April 1964 FIRST VICE-President Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, from 26th April 1964 to 7th April, 1972 SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT R. M. Kawawa, from 26th April 1964 GOVERNMENT Before the dissolution of Parliament on 10th July 1965 all the 71 Mainland seats were held by the TANU party and all the 18 Zanzibar seats by the AfroShirazi party. At the Mainland elections in September 1965 a total of 700 nominations were received by the District Conferences for the 107 seats and these were reduced to 208 by the National Executive Conference of TANU after the District Conferences had examined and voted on the candidates. Only two candidates were allowed to stand in each constituency, there being 101 contested seats and 6 uncontested. All candidates were required to be party members. The elections were notable for the fact that many of the previous members of Parliament lost their seats. At the Presidential elections, which took place at the same time, there was only one candidate for the office of President. Electors were asked to vote for or against and President Nyerere was re-elected by an overwhelming majority. HEAD OF STATE President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces: His Excellency Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere MINISTERS First Vice-President and President of Zanzibar: Hon. Aboud Jumbe* Minister for Finance: Hon. Cleopa Msuya Minister for Commerce and Industries: Hon. Amir H. Jamal Minister for Economic Affairs and Development Planning: Dr Wilbert K. Chagula Minister for National Education: Hon. Simon Chiwanga Minister for Communications and Transport: Hon. Alfred C. Tandau Minister for Labour and Social Welfare: Hon. Gisler Mapunda Minister for National Culture and Youth: Major General M. S. H. Sarakikya *of Zanzibar origin. PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES Office of the Second Vice-President and Prime Minister: Hon. P. Qorro, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Hon. I. A. Sepetu Ministry of Commerce and Industries: Hon. C. M. Mzindakaya Ministry of Defence and National Service: Hon. G. Mhagama Ministry of National Education: Hon. O. E. Mbembela |