Defection and Its Implications on Party Politics in Tanzania

Abstract

This paper reflects on party defection in Tanzania. It shows that since the country’s reintroduction of multiparty politics in 1992, thereby paving way for the formation of opposition parties, cases of party defection have been common. Election observation reports have often featured defection stories, especially during intraparty nominations. While much is known regarding individuals who defected and the parties they joined, little has been done to reflect on the effects of party defection on political parties and party politics in Tanzania. Based on this gap, this paper highlights factors that have often triggered party defection, namely: limited internal party democracy, personal ambitions, legal frameworks, prospective gains, support to exemplary performance of the government, as well as ideological mismatch. The paper further reflects on the effects of party defection on party politics, and shows that it has had both negative and positive consequences on both the opposition parties and the incumbent party. The paper shows that the opposition has benefited from defectors from the incumbent party who have often contributed to an increase of the opposition’s share of presidential votes and the number of parliamentary seats. On the other hand, the paper shows that the ruling party has benefitted from defectors, especially members of parliament whose decision to join the incumbent party has tended to weaken the opposition. The paper also shows that the defection of some influential figures from the ruling party has contributed to reducing internal conflicts and power struggles. It further shows that despite CCM’s continued domination of the country’s political landscape, some cases of defection have contributed to a relative increase of interparty competition, as was observed during the 2015 elections in which the opposition recorded significant gains. Thus, the observations indicate that defection matters to both the ruling party and the opposition, though at varying levels.