Chadema election: You can’t give what you do not have

Chadema’s newly elected chairman Tundu Lissu addresses party delegates shortly after being declared the winner on January 22, 2025 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Photo credit: Mwananchi | Nation Media Group

A common paradox of African aspirations to democratic rule is the gap between the internal processes of political organisations and the practices they condemn in ruling parties at the national level.

In the few instances where term limits have been instituted and adhered to, entrenched ruling parties tend to change leadership at least once every ten years.