| Summary: | Elections took place in October 2015 and the new authorities confirmed their commitment to the objectives of the program. CCM, the ruling party since independence, retained a large majority in parliament, and its candidate, John Magufuli, was elected president. The new authorities have sent strong signals on their determination to reform the government, strengthen the work ethics of the public service, streamline expenditure, and fight tax evasion. Tanzania's macroeconomic performance remains strong. Real GDP growth is on track to remain at about 7 percent. Inflation, which rose to 6.3 percent in October 2015, is expected to converge to the authorities' 5-percent target in 2016. The external current account deficit is projected to decrease further due to lower oil imports. Program implementation slowed significantly ahead of the elections. While most assessment criteria (ACs) for June 2015 were met, the September indicative targets for tax revenue, average reserve money, and net international reserves (NIR) were missed. Revenue and financing shortfalls, together with weak commitment controls, led to the accumulation of further domestic arrears in 2014/15. Some progress was achieved in structural reforms but a number of benchmarks were missed.
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