CCM aspirants worry about new powers of party delegate

The changes, which were made on January 18-19, 2025 during the CCM party congress in Dodoma were championed by CCM chairperson President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

CCM’s secretary of organisation, Mr Issa Haji Ussi Gavu, clarified that these changes aim to enhance democracy by broadening the participation of party members in electing candidates during primaries for parliamentary, councillor and House of Representative positions.

“We had to increase the number of party delegates to enhance democracy and ensure a more participatory process,” said Mr Gavu, adding that the aim was to ensure that party delegates elect widely accepted candidates.

The move follows a short-lived attempt undertaken by the changes of 2020 to limit the number of delegates participating in CCM primaries.

Since the reintroduction of multiparty elections in 1992 till the 2020 General Election all CCM members were allowed to participate in the primaries, which they voted for their preferred aspirant.

The National Executive Committee and the Central Committee had the final say on which aspirant should, ultimately, be fielded by the party.

In the first multiparty General Election in 1995 all CCM members who had been members in six months participated in the primaries.

In the 2020 General Election all CCM members regardless of when they joined the party participated in the primaries.

But this system was deemed to be subject to abuse because even non-members participated in the primaries.

The former Arusha-urban MP through Chadem, Godbless Lema, said in the run-up to the Chadema intraparty national elections that in the 2015 General Election he orchestrated a move in which Chadema supporters participated in the CCM primaries and voted for a weaker aspirant, whom Lema went ahead and trounced during the elections.

The decision was therefore taken after the 2020 General Election to limit the number of members who can participate in the primaries to the Ward and District congress.

These congresses are made up of members elected to the congress, village and street chairpersons and party Ward, Constituency or District chairpersons and secretaries.

Members of NEC resident in a particular Ward and District can also participate in these primaries.

However, there were concerns that excessively restricting party members' participation could create opportunities for corruption, enabling wealthier aspirants to buy votes.

When CCM Secretary General, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, visited Babati in the Manyara region in June 2024 party members reiterated their wish for a more broadened party primary process.

They said the time for a small, select group of party members to pick election candidates for the rest of the members was over.

Dr Nchimbi supported the suggestion, saying; "I, too, don’t like aspirants selected through bribery."

Since this year’s changes were made, however, there has been growing unease among aspirants including current elected leaders seeking re-election, with discussions on how best to engage party delegates.

Several MPs intending to defend their seats in the 2025 General Election have highlighted the rising costs of engaging party delegates.

"To engage with party delegates now, you need a minimum of Sh500 million. It’s all about being accepted; if you give less, your opponent may give more, and you could lose,” one MP lamented.

A senior CCM leader added that the changes aim to reduce the influence of money in selecting candidates.

"The goal is to ensure that candidates are selected based on merit, not financial power," he explained.

Under the new system, the Ward, Constituency or District congresses will remain the focal point of primaries.

Additionally the following members will attend the Ward, Constituency and District congresses and participate in the primaries.

Members of political committees of branches, Wards and Districts will enter the respective congresses and participate in the primaries; members of the implementation committees of all branches and Wards in the respective Constituency; and members of steering committees of all the Shinas [a basic grassroots unit that form part of a branch] within a respective Ward or Constituency or District.

The new reforms also dictate that the steering committee of a Shina will comprise 20-Cell leaders who oversee 20 houses of between 50 and 80 CCM members.

These were formerly leaders of 10-Cell leaders and had no specific number of CCM members that they were supposed to lead.   

These changes, which also apply in Zanzibar, will similarly affect the selection of special seat MPs through the party’s women’s wing (UWT), with an increased number of party delegates involved in the process.

These changes aim to enhance participation, strengthen grassroots structures, and curb corruption.

But some party members say the adjustments complicate the party delegate count, as constituencies vary in size, with some having as few as 14 wards and others as many as 45.