Politics & Governance

Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan Outlines Next Phase of Constitutional Review

By NowinAfrica Editorial Board • August 2, 2026 • Politics & Governance

The exterior of an official government building with flags and a manicured entrance in an East African capital.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced the establishment of a reconciliation commission to guide the next phase of the country’s long-running constitutional review process, according to reporting by AllAfrica that drew on the Daily News newspaper.

Speaking at an event reported from Dar es Salaam, the president reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to political dialogue and national unity as the foundation for moving the review forward. The reconciliation commission is expected to convene stakeholders from across the political spectrum ahead of further consultations on the draft framework.

Tanzania’s current constitution dates from 1977 and has been amended multiple times over the decades. Successive governments have launched review processes aimed at producing a new foundational charter, but efforts have repeatedly stalled amid disagreement over the structure of the union between mainland Tanzania and the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, the allocation of powers between the two governments, and the role of political parties. Tanzania operates as a union of the two parts, each with its own president and legislature, alongside a shared government handling union matters.

Hassan assumed office in March 2021 following the death of President John Magufuli and has since signalled a more conciliatory approach to opposition voices than her predecessor, who served during a period widely criticised for restrictions on civic space. The decision to anchor the next constitutional phase in a reconciliation body is consistent with that posture, although it remains to be seen how the commission will be composed and how its work will feed into a final draft.

As AllAfrica reported, the president framed the review as a national undertaking rather than a partisan project, an emphasis likely intended to broaden buy-in across Tanzania’s political and regional divides ahead of the country’s next general election cycle.