A country's constitution may be defined as that country's basic or fundamental law, which lays down its executive, legislative and judicial institutions. It describes the functions of each of those institutions, and provides for the distribution of powers among them. The present Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania 1977, fits exactly into the above definition. It has a total of ten chapters.
Chapter One declares the fundamental principles of state policy and the fundamental rights and duties of the country's citizens. Chapter two through six provides provisions for the establishment of the three branches of state authority, namely the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary; and describes the distribution of powers and functions among them.
Chapter Seven provides provisions regarding the finances of the United Republic. Chapter Eight establishes the local government authorities of the cities, municipalities and the rural districts. Chapter Nine makes provisions for the existence and control of the Armed Forces of the United Republic.
The last chapter, which is Chapter Ten, provides essential miscellaneous provisions, such as the procedure for the resignation of persons who hold any of the offices which are established by the Constitution, and also provides definitions for some of the terms which are used in the Constitution.
Constitution Making VS Amending the Constitution
Enacting a new constitution of a country or state is a separate and distinct process from that of amending an existing constitution. The established practice in Tanzania and other Commonwealth African countries, is that a new constitution is enacted by a legislative body generally known as a Constitutional Assembly: while an existing constitution is amended by Parliament itself, which uses special procedures in carrying out this special legislative function. This section provides information on the Constitution Review Commission