Candidate Selection Methods and Electoral Performance in Tanzania

• In Event: Party Behavior in Africa

Abstract

Countless efforts have been placed by democratic analysts to the study of elections. What often goes unnoticed nonetheless, is the fact that elections actually take place at two levels: both between parties and within parties. While the former has received significant attention, the latter has not. This is particularly true of African elections generally, and Tanzanian elections specifically. This paper examines the important role that any party embarks on, that is its process of candidate selection. We examine the methods parties use in selecting their candidates, their reasons for choosing them, and the effects of candidate selection methods on party performance in general elections. The paper analyses candidate selection methods at three levels: national (presidential), constituency (parliamentary), and local (councillorship). The analysis at the three levels is important for answering two questions: Who has real power when it comes to candidate selection and does the claim by most parties that members select candidates hold? And what effect does the method chosen have on a candidate’s electoral performance? Methodologically, the paper relies on content analysis of party documents, electoral observation reports, and the media, as well as qualitative interviews with party officials, selected candidates (winners and losers), the Registrar of political parties, members of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), and Civil Society Organisations.

Author

• Consolata Raphael Sulley, University of Dar es Salaam