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Tanzania has to this date performed three general elections but still the ruling party CCM has a strong grip over politics in the country. This book explores the challenges of consolidating multiparty democracy in Tanzania leading to the overall question: What are the possibilities and constraints for consolidation of multiparty democracy in Tanzania? One of the main arguments made is that the ruling party and its leaders on both national and local levels are frequently using the concepts peace, unity and harmony as prime values and existing conditions in the country created by the ruling party CCM and its founding father, Julius K. Nyerere. The usage of these concepts becomes at the local level arguments against multiparty system. Thus, the multiparty system has been met by people with caution; a political form that must be entered into carefully while keeping a watchful eye on the (still) unknown opposition parties and their qualifications. The findings are of interest for academics and practitioners interested in popular perceptions in the field of democracy promotion and election monitoring.

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Petri J. Ruotsalainen, PhD. Peace and Development Studies, MSc. Socialanthropology, School of Global Studies, at University of Gothenburg, Sweden. University lecturer on local democracy and power relations.

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